DE MAAS VOOR ROTTERDAM IN 1838 Lithography made in 1838 by Simon de Visser after a drawing by Carel Christiaan Anthony Last (1808-1876). Later hand-coloured. Dim. (pictured): 19.7 x 29 cm. Although in the 18th and 19th centuries there was ice on the Maas almost every year, winters in which people could enjoy themselves on the ice for a long time were rare. This happened in the years 1776, 1784, 1838 (this print) and again in 1855. The view of the Maas was then one of hawkers, tents, stalls, skaters, hikers and even horse-drawn carriages. Skating on the frozen river Maas must have been a great experience for the Rotterdam community. In the middle of the 19th century this was expressed as follows: "It gratefully testifies to us: the ice pleasure on the river Maas, much desired by many; varied and short in duration; cheerfully enjoyed; calculated for our country's nature; generously and openly appreciated; observed by all kinds of people; a model for personal, social life; a mirror of self-knowledge; wisely and lovingly granted, was a good gift from Him, Who delights in the guiltless cheerfulness of His children". Price: €1.250,- (incl. frame)
