Caesar van Everdingen and Winter

'Winter' (c. 1650) by Caesar van Everdingen; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

There was no doubt in my mind to dedicate today's post to Caesar van Everdingen, buried on October 13, 1678 (no exact date of his birth nor death is known). Because his painting known as Winter (full title 'Young Woman as Winter' or 'Young Woman warming her Hands') is one of my favourite paintings of the permanent collection of the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum and I am very happy to show it to you here. But in my post of 6 September on the painter Julius LeBlanc Stewart I had made mention of the wonderful artist John Atkinson Grimshaw whom I had just discovered, and I had hoped to be able to use him for today. But then I found out about Van Everdingen and as much as I like Grimshaw's work (like Spirit of The Night and his nightscenes like this and this and this which are stunning) and would love to dedicate an entire post to him (maybe if I continue this blog, next year), the beauty of Van Everdingen's 'Winter' wins out anytime. Also because I have seen this in real life and it is so beautiful. The painting depicts a young woman warming her hands over a pot with glowing coals. She is the personification of winter. I love all the exquisite details. The maker of this wonderful painting Van Everdingen had worked under Jacob van Campen. Through him he received some important commissions. He painted mainly historical paintings and portraits.