The painting depicts a winter landscape—a frozen pond filled with numerous small, colourfully dressed figures. They are ice skating, riding sleds, and playing kolf, a Dutch game resembling modern golf. The scene has been identified as Hofvijver, a lake in the centre of The Hague, created in the 14th century near the adjacent castle. On the left side of the painting stand brownish walls of the surrounding buildings, including a polygonal tower. Beyond them, on the horizon, stretches a view of bare trees and small houses.

Nearly two-thirds of the painting’s height is occupied by dark clouds that brighten gradually toward the left. In the upper left portion, between the clouds, a patch of blue sky emerges. Slightly below, along the left edge, appears part of a brick structure. To its right stands a broad, low octagonal tower topped with a pointed roof and a decorative finial. This building is in the foreground. Its shadowed walls are dark brown, while its steep roofs are green. The upper section of the tower stands against bright clouds. This is the Torentje (“the little tower”), part of the complex that today houses the Dutch Parliament.

To the right of the building appear various groups of figures dressed in multicoloured clothing—mainly browns, reds, yellows, and blacks. Most wear hats or headscarves. They stand upon the frozen water, engaged in different activities: ice skating, sliding on sleds, and playing kolf. The players hold clubs reaching from the ground to their midsection. The person preparing to strike bends forward, aiming at the ball.

Against the backdrop of the buildings are several figures shown from behind, hidden in the building’s shadow. In front of them, on the ice, stands another small group of people. To their right, a man skates with a dog at his side. Further right, a large sleigh pulled by a brown horse glides forward. Three people sit in the sleigh, all turned away from the viewer, as is the horse. On the far right another group stands: one person skates while holding a long kolf club. Next to them, three children appear—two standing, one crouching to adjust a skate. Slightly farther right is a group holding short sticks.

Behind them, on the horizon, stands another gate-like building turned so that its longer, shadowed façade faces the viewer, while its shorter sunlit side faces the ice. At the corner of the building rises a tower roughly four storeys high. To the right of the tower lies a boulevard stretching in front of the long façade. A wall runs along it, beneath which more figures stand. Behind the wall, before the building, appear bare, lightly snow-covered trees.

In the background to the left of this building lies the distant part of the skating area. There are additional small groups of people and another horse-drawn sleigh. Most figures are shown in motion, gliding over the ice. The horizon beyond the rink is filled with a forest of leafless, snow-covered trees.

Colouristically, the painting is divided into two zones: warm browns dominate the lower half, while the upper part contains cooler greys.

The work is attributed to Jan van Goyen, one of the most esteemed Dutch landscape painters. Between 1632 and 1634 the artist settled in The Hague, where he remained until his death.

Audio description: Agata Lech
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Miłosz Kargol