Andreas Schelfhout (Dutch, 1787-1870)

Andreas Schelfhout was one of the most influential Dutch landscape artists of the 19th Century and is widely seen as a precursor to the Hague School. He specialized in creating scenes of skating figures on frozen waterways. A majestic windmill to the right of the composition in the current lot celebrates his native Netherlands. In 1818 he became a member of the Royal Academy for Visual Arts of Amsterdam. In 1819 he was awarded the Gold Medal at the exhibition in Antwerp. In1822 he was given the rank of Fourth Class Correspondent of the Royal Dutch Institute. His death marked the end of the Romantic period in Holland.