Molkwerum Sledge on the Ice, Frisian Costume Print, 1811

This is an original antique copper engraving with hand coloring, plate No. 10 of Maaskamp's series on Dutch dress and customs, captioned in Frisian and Dutch "Herre goe! zel ji so klyd, nei Mokærum te pikjen? Hoe nu! zult gij zó gekleed, naar Molqueren sleeden?" A woman sits on a low sledge painted blue with yellow scrollwork, pushing herself along with two green sticks. She wears blue gloves, red oversleeves over blue striped sleeves, a black sleeveless jacket, a red and white checked bodice and kerchief, a dark blue skirt and wooden shoes, with a red checked cloth tied over a white cap. Her companion stands on skates in a long pink gown printed with white flowers, a checked head cloth and blue gloves, pointing at her and holding a spare pair of skates. A broom of straw on a stick stands on the ice behind them.

The Frisian line and the Dutch line beneath it both say "What now! are you going to sledge to Molkwerum dressed like that?" The French caption reads "Quoi! avec ces beaux habits, vous allez en traîneau à Molqueren?", that is, "What! in these fine clothes, you are going by sledge to Molkwerum?" Below the image the credits read "C.F. Bounach ad viv. del." at lower left, "J. Kuyper, direx." in the center and "L. Portman, sculp." at lower right, naming C.F. Bounach as the draughtsman working from life, J. Kuyper as the artistic director and L. Portman as the engraver. The imprint reads "Amsterdam 1811, by E. Maaskamp, Kalverstaat en Dam No. 1." with a second line, "London publish'd by Colnaghi & Co. Cockspur Street", naming the London print sellers Colnaghi and Co.

The plate belongs to Afbeeldingen van de Kleedingen, Zeden en Gewoonten in de Noordelijke Provinciën van het Koningrijk der Nederlanden, the survey of dress, manners and customs in the northern Netherlands published in Amsterdam by Evert Maaskamp, with a parallel French text. Each plate pairs its figures with a short exchange in Dutch, sometimes in regional dialect, and in French, so the costume studies also read as small genre scenes.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.