Holland on ice – C. Rentmeester; R. Couwenhoven Koopje

When the temperature sinks below zero, the Dutch come most vibrantly alive. The innumerable ditches, canals and lakes that bisect and dissect the Netherlands are transformed by the frigid fingers of Jack Frost into a complex of ice rinks. Now it is time for the national passion: skating. Nothing has changed this tradition for centuries. Old and young, rich and poor, every Dutchman skates. Always has. Centuries-old images created by the famous Dutch and Flemish masters Hendrick Avercamp and Pieter Breughel …