Born at Leipzig, Johann Christian Vollerdt studied with Johann Alexander Thiele (1675-1752), a moderately successful German landscapist, and, like his teacher, took landscape as his major artistic focus. His paintings, which began to be collected and engraved in Britain in the first decades of the nineteenth century, depict both imaginary scenes and faithful views along the Rhine. But, however imposing, his views are almost always animated by small figures going about their daily lives.

Here, the snow-surrounded lake has frozen over, and the sky is heavy and dark with more snow still to come. While some of the villagers are enjoying a moment of leisure – skating, riding and chatting to each other on the ice – a procession of labourers zig-zags up and down the hill, carrying wood and supplies between the houses overlooking the lake, and the town on the other side.

A set of Four seasons were recorded in the inventory of paintings acquired by George III from Consul Smith. This is cearly 'Winter' and RCIN 404792, which matches in frame and size, is probably 'Summer'; the two other seasons are no longer in the collection.