May there be peace on earth

Happy Holidays from The Blade

Joseph Morviller’s 'Testing the Ice.'

This holiday season, with the nation still mourning the tragic shootings in Newtown, Conn., and worried about the gridlock in Washington, The Blade looks back to a simpler time of a quiet and snowy winter in the country as exemplified by Joseph Morviller’s Testing the Ice.

The work was painted in 1857 by Morviller (1800-1870), who was born in France and moved to Boston, where he spent his career painting landscapes depicting New England rivers and streams.

The oil on canvas has been part of the Toledo Museum of Art’s collection since it was purchased in 1954 with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey bequest in memory of her father, Maurice A. Scott.