Winter Landscape with Skaters - Johann-Christian VOLLERDT (1708– 1769)

Johann-Christian VOLLERDT (Leipzig 1708–1769 Dresden) Winter landscape with skaters on a frozen lake Oil on canvas, 21.5 x 30.5 cm, in a tortoiseshell frame


PROVENANCE:
- Paris, private collection until October 2025

THE ARTIST
Born in Leipzig in 1708, Vollerdt was a student of the German painter and engraver Johann Alexander Thiele (1685–1752), a specialist in vedute. Thiele was appointed court painter in Arnstadt in 1729, and later worked at the courts of Brunswick and Kassel. From 1730 onward, Thiele served as the official painter of the Duchy of Saxony. Unlike Thiele, Vollerdt is known for his small landscapes painted on copper and canvas, influenced by the imaginary villages perched on the Rhine hills and river valleys depicted by Herman Saftleven (1609–1685) and Jan Griffier. His paintings, which began to be collected and engraved in Great Britain during the early decades of the 19th century, depict both imaginary scenes and faithful views of the Rhine. As imposing as they may be, his views are almost always enlivened by small figures going about their daily business.