Ice Skaters in front of a City Gate

The subject ijsvermaak or „pleasures on the ice“ developed into an independetn theme in the second decade of the 17th century, combining an increasingly prosperous urban society’s delight in amussements with the picturesque appeal of a winter landscape. The Prague painting depicts various pleasurable activities outside a city gate with spires that vaguely recall the Oosterpoort in Delft. People promenade on foot or on horseback, play kolf on the ice, and skate or sled along the frozen canals.