Jan Michel Ruyten is one of the 19th-century Belgian masters who were strongly influenced by the Dutch Romantic painters. Born and educated in Antwerp, the painter left for our country around 1840, presumably to The Hague, where he continued to live until 1870. There he got to know the work of Andreas Schelfhout and his pupil Wijnand Nuyen, which had a major influence on his choice of subject. Until then, Ruyten mainly painted cityscapes, in the Netherlands he added river views, harbors and ice scenes to his repertoire. Although Schelfhout is clearly his source of inspiration in this latter genre, his work differs from that of his great example in a very original and un-Dutch way. After 1870 he returned to painting city corners and markets.