Object of the Day: An Antique Snow Scene

As the snow falls here in North Texas (at least temporarily), I thought I’d present this antique painting. Though unsigned, the canvas is dated 1846. I know it comes from Canada and was purchased with a lot of antiques several years ago.


It’s an unusual painting inasmuch as landscape artists usually depict scenes of majestic greenery. Here, we have a rather desolate scene. The bare tree and the rocks are an interesting counterpoint to the cool grays and whites of the snow and ice.

For many of us, this is what we’re seeing when we look out of our windows. A painting such as this reminds us that beneath that blanket of coldness, lies something wonderful and alive. It’s a rather fitting metaphor for life.