Kolfspelers bij een antieke ruïne 1622

Cornelis van Poelenburch created this brown ink drawing titled ‘Kolfspelers bij een antieke ruïne’ – Golfers near an ancient ruin – sometime between 1614 and 1667. Poelenburch, a Dutch Golden Age painter, spent time in Italy absorbing the cultural milieu of Rome. This drawing reflects the deep cultural impact of the classical world on seventeenth century Dutch art, particularly through the lens of leisure and recreation. Golf, as depicted here, serves as a signifier of wealth and status. But the golfers are playing among ruins, prompting us to reflect on the passage of time and the ephemerality of human achievement. This scene suggests a dialogue between the grandeur of the past and the everyday pleasures of the present. The artist blends the real with the ideal, inviting viewers to contemplate their relationship to history and mortality. The crumbling architecture and playing golfers evoke feelings of nostalgia and contemplation.