Artwork
Winter Landscape
Winter Landscape is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem. It dates from 1652 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1652, *Winter Landscape* is an oil painting by Dutch artist Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem. Executed in the Italianate landscape mode that Dutch painters adopted after exposure to Italian scenery, the work portrays a tranquil winter scene in a rural setting. The composition is part of the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it is displayed among other 17th‑century Dutch works.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas presents a snow‑covered village with a modest stream winding through it. Figures—one man and several animals, including horses and cows—populate the foreground, suggesting everyday life in a cold season. A windmill rises in the distance beneath a heavy, overcast sky, emphasizing the quiet endurance of the landscape and its inhabitants during winter.
Technique & Style
Berchem employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, using deep shadows to make the white snow and muted architecture stand out against the dark sky. The paint application varies: certain areas are rendered with thick, impasto strokes that add tactile texture, while smoother passages convey the softness of snowfall. This contrast of surface treatment enhances the atmospheric depth of the scene.
History & Provenance
After its creation, the painting entered private collections before being acquired by the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains part of the museum’s permanent holdings. Documentation traces its ownership through several European dealers in the 18th and 19th centuries, confirming its attribution to Berchem and its consistent presence in Dutch Golden Age inventories.
Context
Berchem was a prominent figure in the Dutch Golden Age, known for integrating Italianate motifs—such as classical ruins and idealized countryside—into northern subjects. *Winter Landscape* reflects this synthesis, merging the serene, sun‑lit qualities of Italian pastoral scenes with the specific, chilly atmosphere of the Dutch lowlands, illustrating the cross‑cultural influences that shaped his oeuvre.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1 October 1620 – 18 February 1683) was a highly esteemed and prolific Dutch Golden Age painter of pastoral landscapes, populated with mythological or biblical figures, but also of a number of allegories and…
