William Charles Anthony Frerichs (Belgian/American/North Carolina, 1829-1905) oil on canvas winter scene painting depicting figures ice skating and sledding on a frozen lake and fishing boats banked on the shore, all surrounded by a snow-covered ground with barren trees and evergreen foliage under a cloudy sky. Signed "W. Frerichs" lower right. Housed in a period Hudson River style gilt and gesso frame with bead-course and foliate decoration. Sight: 30" H x 46" W. Framed: 43" H x 58" W. Biography: William Frerichs was born in Ghent, Netherlands in 1829. He was educated in the Low Countries, having studied medicine at the Leiden University and art at the Royal Academies in The Hague and Brussels. When he was 18 years old, he completed a 12 x 17-foot painting that was purchased for the emperor of Russia. He was well-traveled and enhanced his art training with independent study in Paris, Rome, and Vienna. Frerichs emigrated to New York in 1850 and exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1854. He relocated with his family to Greensboro, North Carolina where he worked and taught art from 1854 to 1863. During this period, he painted numerous wilderness landscapes in the region. In 1863, after a fire destroyed most of his work and employment was scarce in the South following the Civil War, Frerichs returned to New York. In 1869 he moved to Tottenville, Staten Island, and later to Newark, New Jersey where he operated an art school until his death in 1905. Patched puncture to center, with associated area of retouching measuring 2". Scattered areas of retouching visible under UV light inspection, and a few small flakes. Frame with scattered losses and craquelure.