The painting depicts a lively scene from a frozen river outside the town walls, where a large crowd have gathered to skate and mingle. North-Western Europe went through a small ice age from circa 1550 until the middle of the 19th century, where two thirds of the winters in Holland between 1600 and 1700 were particularly cold with long periods of frost and snow. Fifty five percent of Holland is under sea level and as such reclaiming land was/is a constant battle. There are numerous rivers and canals and when they froze they were a popular place for all social levels to ice skate, ride a sledge, or play kolf (the popular forerunner of ice hockey). Water was supplied by a makeshift well cut into the ice, as seen in our painting, merchants would set up shops, people could eat and drink in a typically Dutch �koek-en-zopie� tent where �zopie� was served, a popular drink made of �bock�, a strong German lager mixed with rum.The gathering, as seen in the painting, was a common type in the Low Countries during the seventeenth century and as such many artists were inspired to capture the rich range of images provided by them. The scene depicted is relatively restrained compared with some, if you consider Pieter Bruegel I''s paintings of this type. Many individuals depicted stand out for their elegance. As usual, however, the more elegant and wealthy figures are shown mingling with the less wealthy, suggesting that these events, temporarily, brought even the most divided of societies together and helped to ease the everyday social tensions between the different social strata. Signed with monogram and dated ''THM 1660'' and inscribed on a presentation plaque on the frame.Thomas Heeremans specialised in summer and winter landscapes with numerous figures enjoying themselves. He also painted a few beach scenes set into the dunes. He was born in Haarlem, the son of Hereman Thomasz. and Gooltje Maertensdr. On 4 December 1663 he married Trijntje Claesdr. who w...