Much less anecdotal than the winter scenes by Hendrick Avercamp (see 'A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle' and 'A Scene on the Ice near a Town'), this painting conveys instead the atmosphere of a cold winter day on a frozen waterway. The atmospheric effect is emphasised by the pale sunlight and restrained colours, and by the broad and rapid execution of the details.
The village on the horizon has not been identified, and the scene may not be intended as a depiction of a particular site. Van Goyen painted more than 100 such winter landscapes.
