Avercamp hendrick biography of donald
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New details come to light during the restoration of Hendrick Avercamp’s painting Scene on the Ice
Gallows field in a winter scene
It became clear that past restorers had worked very carefully but had nonetheless – consciously or unconsciously – changed certain details. For example, the curled ends of some of the skates had been painted out, as had the bobble on the hooded cape worn by the lady in the foreground.
The restoration brought further revelations: some figures had clearly been added later and could now be removed, one man turned out to be a woman and other figures had been painted out. One figure is cut in half, suggesting the panel has been sawn at this point and that the painting was originally slightly larger.
The gallows field that Verhave discovered in the background is a recurring element in Avercamp’s winter scenes, but it is remarkable nonetheless. The ochre-yellow lines were initially seen as reeds but now reveal as many as ten hanging corpses. It also became clear that various figures are staring at the bodies and that the three horse-drawn sledges are taking people to view this grisly attraction. This discovery may help locate the spot that Avercamp has painted here and contribute to further art-historical research.
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New details come to light during the restoration of Hendrick Avercamp’s painting Scene on the Ice
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During the past year, Hendrick Avercamp’s painting Scene on the Ice has undergone a thorough restoration, bringing to light new details and revealing the work’s original colours.
The clean-up has made the reflections of the figures in the foreground clearer and, most importantly, has made it clear what is really going on in the background. To the left of the boats is a group of vertical ochre lines. Initially the restorer, Johanneke Verhave, interpreted this as a clump of reeds, until she realised that it is, in fact, a gallows field with ten hanging corpses. It also became clear that various figures are staring at the bodies and that the three horse-drawn sledges are taking people to view this grisly attraction. This discovery may help locate the spot Avercamp painted in this scene. Many of his paintings feature a gallows field, something that was typically located outside the city walls.