Arrenslee op het ijs c. 1664 - 1719

Pieter Bout created this print, “Arrenslee op het ijs,” capturing a winter scene with figures skating and riding sleds on a frozen landscape. Note the striking presence of the horse-drawn sleigh, an age-old symbol of status, echoed in ancient Roman chariots. The sleigh signifies not merely transport but communal festivity, a rolling stage for social display. Think back to triumphal processions, emblems of power and celebration. The joy etched on the faces here, the collective pleasure of winter games, speaks to a primal need for release and connection, a bacchanalian spirit adapted to a frosty climate. Such festive release carries echoes of the Roman Saturnalia, where social norms were overturned in communal revelry. This image invites us to consider how traditions evolve, how universal human emotions find new expressions across time. The collective memory embedded here is not just of winter but of our enduring impulse toward joy and community.