RKD STUDIES

D68 - D79

... red for sale on eBay, where it was purchased by a former employee of the Frans Hals Museum. It is a valuable addition to the oeuv...

... red and white chalk on paper, 373 x 299 mmAmsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-T-1939-136Pendant to D71...

... red and white chalk on paper, 370 x 296 mmAmsterdam, Rijksprentenkabinet, inv.no. P-T-1939-135Pendant ...

... on in Amiens [5], or the lost original on which that painting was based on, before it was reduced in size. This hypothesis is supported by the inscription on the drawing’s verso: ‘...

... A second hand was added, which is not visible in the engraving. It is conceivable that the present composition predates the version in the engraving, a hypothesis which would be worthwhile to investigate further....

B1- B10

... ion is preserved in two variations. The present painting was accessible to researchers in the Berlin Gemäldegalerie until the Second World War. It was referred to as an early work by Willem Buytewech (c. 1591/1592-1624), an attribution which was widely accepted....

... e rommel-pot player as a drawn and coloured figure study. Considering the stylis...

... le. Bailly is therefore presumed to have been the owner of this painting, that is now in the Rijksmuseum. In any case, he must have had access to the picture for some time. Bailly’s 1624 drawing only surfaced in 2000 and established an even earlier terminus post quem non for the painted copy.9 With this in mind, Leyster – who was baptised on 28 July 1609 and would have been fifteen years old by 1624 – probably cannot be considered to be the author of this painting. It seems probable that another copy of Hals’s Lute Player existed, which Leyster could have studied either in Hals’s workshop or outside of it....

... en taken from the painted version. These include the purple and green shades of the boys’ clothing, the red edges of the music scores, the blue beret, and the red colour accents in the faces. Sadly, the original painting is so damaged by later overpainting that the impression of its original colours is limited....

... original Hals painting in Kassel (A1.50), at opposite sides of a large landscape painting. The differences in Steen's Malle Babbe, compared to the currently known variants by Hals and others have led to the argument that there must have existed another version. However, Slive a...

... resent picture – was copied in Leyster’s Merry Couple, which is signed and dated 1630.15 A free repetition of elements from the Heythuysen portrait by a pupil is certainly conceivable; it assumes the accessibility of the original in Hals’s workshop. However, this would no longer have been possible once the original portrait was delivered and moved to the patron’s exclusive private rooms....

A3.30 - A3.39

... ings made it clear that the present painting belongs to the 17th century and originates from the Hals workshop. It also suggested a dating of c. 1634-1637 and the signature could be determined as forming an original component of the paint layer.The diagonally rising dune landscape in the present panting’s background conforms to a pattern that can be found in several other genre paintings by the Hals workshop. In its cool tonality and draughtsman-like brushwork, the landscape is recognizable as a contribution by Pieter de Molijn (1595-1661), whose hand is visible in the background of several other works by Hals. The rolling dune landscape with small figures in the distance and the ochre and green tones are related to Molijn’s Landscape with a cottage, dated 1629 [1].The boy with the shadowed face in the foreground reappears as – or at least strongly resembles – the model in Young boy in profile in Washington (A3.31). That painting was also executed by Hals in the facial area, while the remainder must be considered to be a work by an artist from his immediate circle. The correspondence between both representations suggests a similar time of execution.The motif of the crab on the boy’s finger, or of children playing with crabs in general, is recurrent in artworks of the period. It first appeared in the work of Italian artists, for example in a drawing and painting by Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1535-1625), both undated.8 Similar subject matter can be found in a half-length figure by Caravaggio (1571-1610), depicting a young man being bitten by a lizard.9 Also worth mentioning is Annibale Carracci’s (1560-1609) composition of children teasing a cat with a small crab, dating from around 1590.10 But the subject matter of pain inflicted through the bite of a crab can be found in Holland as well, for example in the picture Boy with fish still-life by Petrus Staverenus (c. 1610/1612- after 1654), who was heavily influenced by Hals and worked in Haarlem and The Hague.11 All these representations certainly refer to worldly wisdom, be it about the pain, the children’s courage, or the multiple symbolisms of the crab....

... e period. As it often happened when the facial features of a figure point to a certain master, but the rest varies stylistically, this painting was also attributed to the circle of pupils of Hals. However, two distinct manners of execution are discernible in this case. The facial contours were drawn in a very assured manner with a few soft lines of the brush. This area, including the ear, displays a painterly talent which cannot be identified anywhere in the work of Hals’s pupils, and neither in the secure works by Leyster. This is Hals’s own handwriting, which contrasts in the present painting with the precise contours an...

... Sarasota, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, inv.no. SN251Pendant to A3.33The larger size of the pend...

... o / to have herself painted / had arrived from Haarlem / and travelled back home on the same day / which he had in such a short time with the face / collar / fur / coat / as well as other clothing and both hands / turned into a life-size half figure good-looking and well-made’.20 This passage is quoted in the Wikipedia entry on Jacob Backer with reference to the large-scale Portrait of a lady in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, signed Rembrandt f. and dated 1635.21 It is commented as follows: ‘perhaps this portrait of a woman in an armchair by Backer seemed more attractive to the sitter mentioned by Sandrart than the portraits by Frans Hals of her Haarlem contemporaries, the Vooght sisters, and that is why she travelled to Amsterdam for her portrait to be done’.22Regardless of the still open attribution of the New York portrait, the question arises against which contemporary alternatives Hals’s female portraits of the 1630s would be measured in Haarlem. Which painters were available there apart from Hals, what did their work cost and how busy were they? An associated question concerns the overpainter, who smoothed faces and hands, and the assistant – or could it have been the same person? – who executed the folds of the dress and the fur. When comparing these interventions with works by potential competitors – Salomon de Bray (1597-1664), Johannes Verspronck (c. 1600/1603-1662), Pieter Soutman (c. 1593/1601-1657) – a participation by Verspronck seems to me only plausible in the repetition of the Portrait of Maritge Claesdr. Vooght (A3.33a), as well as possibly for the reworking of the head in the Portrait of a man in Berlin (A3.18). The latter could have been carried out within the Hals workshop even before Verspronck set out independently. Stylistically different, yet close to Hals’s style are the abovementioned areas in the portraits of Nicolaes van der Meer (A3.19), P...

... y after Hals’s 1650 Portrait of Nicolaas Stenius (A3.54) by Ludolf de Jongh (1616-1679), dated 1652 (A3.54a), as a copy by a different workshop may have been obtained cheaper, faster or more reliably.The present painting is of particular interest from the point of view of technique and the largely preserved coloring. In today’s appearance it can be compared directly to Hals’s – reworked – model and gives a good impression of the thinly painted half-tones, especially in the shaded parts of the face – which appear lighter than in the model....

... yle that is dominated by shades of grey. The composition is unquestionably by Hals, and he surely executed the face himself. The accurately captured turn of the gaze and the movement in the facial features can only be attributed to the master himself. Hals's typical brushwork is recog...

... . 1654). The areas of the collar and hand correspond to his rigid draughtsman-like style than can also be observed in his portraits of 1644 and 1648 (A4.3.13, A4.3.25).In the catalogue of the 2013 Haarlem exhibition, Hillegers proposed to identify the sitter as Willem Warmont (1583/1584-1650).28 Indeed, the age of the Haarlem brewer and mayor matches the man’s age. Nevertheless, to me the facial features do not seem to support this identification. The more voluminous nose and the pointier nose profile, as well as the wide and prominent upper eyelids set the present painting’s sitter apart from Van Warmont’s confirmed likeness in the Banquet of the officers of the Calivermen civic guard of 1627 (A2.8A) [4].In 2014 Frans Grijzenhout discovered an inventory of the possessions of Nicolaes Noppen (1600/1605-1657) and his wife Geertruijt Gerrits. van Santen (1605/1610-1675), drawn up in 1676. Aside from portraits of the husband and wife (A1.99, A1.100) the inventory lists a portrait by Frans Hals of the father of Geertruijt, Gerrit Jansz. van Santen (1583/1584-c. 1653), which Grijzenhout tentatively matches to the present painting.29 Gerrit Jansz. van Santen was a distiller, and also a Mennonite preacher, which would be in keeping with the present sitter’s unembellished clothing....

... rds, the two pictures went separate ways. It is unknown if and how they belonged together, as pendants or as parts of a family gallery.The central part of the woman’s face shows a spirited expression and a spontaneous and convincingly captured turn towards the viewer, which only ever appears in Hals’s own achievements. His characteristic brushwork is present in the areas of the eyes, nose, and mouth [6]. But at the same time, there are somewhat finicky brushstrokes in the fac...

... ostly brown shades differs from the cooler tonality modelling the present portrait.The sitter’s characterful face with the prominent lump on the forehead is a typical performance by Frans Hals, executed as far as the short reddish brushstrokes on the cheek and forehead. This immediacy of observation and clarity of representation is lacking in the other areas of the painting. The collar with its hesitantly executed lace is as flat as the area ...

... picture. Weaknesses in the modelling of the clothes, especially the folds of the dark suit, suggest the hand of an assistant involved in the execution, possibly Jan Hals (c. 1620-c. 1654). Nevertheless, these observations are secondary to the expressive face that seems to turn spontaneously towards the viewer. The head, which is modelled with rich contrasts throughout, the lively eyes, the jauntily added moustache and the movement conveyed in the mouth unequivocally demonstrate Hals’s generous and confident style of painting [7]. He probably sketched the entire figure and then took on the modelling of the head himself. Overpainting around the head most likely contributed to obscuring the quality of this area and preventing an attribution to Frans Hals. The underlying contour of a wide-brimmed hat is discernible, now covered by the background color, as are some of the edges of the white collar. Even the lowered contour of the shoulder that Slive criticized can be regarded as the result of later reworking. An original higher shape is recognizable in the picture’s appearance today. It is to be hoped that these deforming interventions, which obscure the composition, will be reversed in the intended restoration. As in all comparable cases, it would certainly be worthwhile to reveal the original composition [8]....

A1.122 - A1.132

... hes of dark color. The slight rounding of the muscles around the mouth conveys a friendly and relaxed manner, while the serious unwavering gaze is directed straight at the viewer. The sitter wears a black silk suit in the French fashion, with slashed sleeves and an open waistcoat. The multiple ruffles on the sleeve and the colored silk ribbons on the waist are especially striking. It is not clear why the hand is a bit too small and misshapen. Pentimenti indicate a different original execution in this area....

... h figure combines all the qualities of a work by the late and – in his individual approach to painting – entirely confident Hals. The pattern in the compositional lines and individual brushstrokes is connected in a suggestive manner with the energetic expressive tension of the face. The dissolution of the facial representation into strokes of subtly captured nuances of color and brightness has reached an extreme point, while it still has nothing arbitrary or erratic. The visual perception of the painting technique enhances the energetic surge in the facial features in a masterly way.We do not know how this type of portraiture was received before Hals’s ‘Impressionist’ discovery in the late 19th century. I...

... a psychological study of the very personal and informal character of this unknown gentleman.Together with the Portrait of a man with a slouch hat (A1.130) and the Regents of the Old Men's Almshouse (A3.62), this portrait with its consistent brushwork documents the focused view of the late Hals. The area around the sitter’s eyes always forms the centre of the composition, and is the focus for the direction of the light and enhanced contrasts. The sitter’s active gaze is captured with the greatest clarity – unlike the schematic rendering of the area around the eyes as is present in several paintings from catalogue part A4.3. The thin paint layers and the rhythm of the brushstrokes in their recurring diagonal pattern evidently separate the clear design of the present picture from the demonstration of unbridled handling that can be discerned in the contemporary Portrait of a man (A3.64) and Portrait of an unknown man (A4.3.55)....

... at painting portraits or counterfeits which appear very rough and bold, nimbly touched and well composed, pleasing and ingenious, and when seen from a distance seem to lack nothing but life itself […]’.15 This bright spot on the horizon of connoisseurship fell into a time when Hals only received occasional commissions. According to all characteristics, this picture was a commissioned work as well. It is the boldest of the entirely autograph executions that have come down to us. It is in the light of this image that De Bie's recognition gains particular value. His praise is so outstanding compared to the few and muted comments of Hals's paintings in his life time and aware of the decline in orders and many instances of smoothing revision of his faces....

... in the lower right corner were covered, it is not clear if these were original. In any case, pentimenti are visible to the right of the upper body. The right outer contour of the body was later covered by a grey brushstroke, which is certainly not original, and which makes the white collar appear suspended mid-air. It is worth comparing this subsequent narrowing of contours with the late Portr...

... unfortunately damaged and was long obscured by overpainting. At first glance, th...

3.6 Colleagues and competitors

... s and sitter’s place of residence. Schade van Westrum came from Utrecht, where he resided all his life, while Jonson van Ceulen had moved to that city from Amsterdam in 1652. The comparison of the two portraits made nine years apart is especially instructive, as Schade van Westrum was a particularly lavish patron who took great pride in his appearance. Consequently, he had himself painted by Hals already at the age of 22, dressed in fashionable attire. His later portraitist Jonson van Ceulen better fitted his goal of prestige, since he was a successful artist employed by families from the English aristocracy and the London court, and as such he guaranteed an elegantly restrained type of representation....

... dants dated 1648, formerly in Huis Bingerden [99] [104].293 Second, there is the fine painting by Jacob van der Merck (c. 1610-1664), dated 1641, which recently appeared in the art trade [100]. In addition, there is the ambitious pair by Govert Flinck (1615-1660), of 1647 [101] [105]. Hals’s paintings of the Coymans couple of 1644...

... e portraits of Michiel de Wael (1596-1659) (A1.22, A1.30, A2.12). Several patrons seem to have tested their portrait appearance by employing different painters, similar to dress rehearsals.A comparison between the appreciation of Hals and that of his younger Haarlem colleague Pieter de Grebber demonstrates a difference in favour of the latter...

... by Warnaar Horstink (1756-1815) [112] renders this long inaccessible painting by De Braij, probably somewhat lighter in colouring and sharpers in the facial features, yet demonstrating an observation of facial movement comparable in intensity to that of the face painted by Hals. Hals’s incredibly assured accents stand out in comparison, but also De Braij’s acute psychology. It is possible that Hals’s portrait was chosen as a model by De Braij, consciously or as a request by the sitter. The body posture and the composition based on diagonals are also indebted to Hals.The work of the aforementioned portrait painters in Haarlem remained inspired by tradition and followed rules that were first formulated in Van Mander’s Schilder-Boeck of 1604. Nevertheless, Hals's creative example left recognizable traces in individual pictures by his fellow painters from Haarlem and Amsterdam, amongst which are a number of single portraits by Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck. Hals's manner of structuring his militia pieces by using separate groups, and his compositional use of flags and sashes are echoed in the excellent group portrait of the Officers and sub-alterns leaving the Calivermen’s headquarters in Haarlem of 1630, that has traditionally been attributed to Hendrick Pot.300 How...

3.4 The development of Frans Hals the artist

... eyed in portraits. This symbolic experience depended on the interpretation of the world and the scope of learning, and it shifted with the consciousness of perception and its limits. As such, it became continuously more indirect and more reduced. Within the limits of his professional focus on the representation of human appearance, Hals responded in ever more radical ways to the fading of symbolic visibility – to the point of a disintegration of representation into indivi...

... : gold ground and halos, pure colors and linear geometric symbolism. Only the superior naturalism of painting and sculpture from classical antiquity offered a formal expression for higher consciousness. Their shapes seemed to outline the underlying basic laws of beauty and spirituality that would apply to...

... 7] which was painted in 1624 at the latest. Its proximity to pictures by Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588-1629), Gerard van Honthorst (1592-1656) and Dirck van Baburen (c. 1592/93-1624) dated 1622, 1623 and 1624 can only be explained by an encounter with an entire array of these or almost identical works – take, for example, Van Baburen’s Procuress of 1622, Honthorst's 1623 Merry Fiddler and The concert, his slightly later Merry violinist with a glass of wine, and finally, Ter Brugghen's Singing lute player of 1624 [48].251 Hals’s lute player is superior to these other versions of the same motif in one respect: a consistent observation of the moment. Highlights and cast shadows are emphasized and at the same time integrated into the visual rhythm of parallel diagonals, causing the focus to be not so much on the illumination of the figure and his position, but rather on the surprising impression of a fleeting instant. Instead of a frozen moment, as so often occurs in the Utrecht examples [49], Hals’s approach results in a visual impression of a brief pause.The Utrecht influence becomes apparent so abruptly that a trip by Hals to Utrecht can be assumed. It remains unclear when and with whom among the Utrecht painters or picture dealers a direct contact was established. Leonard Slatkes furthermore underlined the Utrecht influence on the Haarlem painters in Pieter de Grebber’s (c. 1600-1652) Musical Trio [50] even though Hals’s Young man and woman in an inn of 1623 [51] already adopts a Caravaggist gesture as well.252 This being said, the reorientation of the Hals workshop seems to have been prompted by a sudden intensified contact. Half-length depictions of musicians in Caravaggesque style had already been created in Utrecht for some time, as demonstrated by Ter Brugghen’s 1621 Flute player, Abraham Bloemaert’s (1566-1651) Flute player of the same year, and Van Baburen’s 1622 Young man singing.253 Nevertheless: ‘It appears, that Honthorst did not isolate the merry musicians from his larger compositions until 1623’.254 It may have been precisely the latter’s light-colored and planar compositions which resonated with Hals’s approach and which came to his attention through either engravings by Theodor Matham (c. 1605/06-1676) or other artists or art dealers....

... ted his single portrait sitters in a dominant pose, and increasingly seen from below. They seem to appear as on a plinth or a stage ramp. There, they swagger in the luxury of their expensive clothes, like the Laughing cavalier of 1624 (A1.16) with their arms akimbo, or turning their raised chests towards the viewer. These overly dramatic appearances – blatantly obvious in the portraits of Heythuysen (A2.6) and Roosterman [53] – signal distinguished self-presentation in line with conventional portraiture. But at the same time, Hals emphasized a spontaneous behavior in the sitters' gaze that was directed by the interaction while sitting for the painter, and independent of the assumed pose [54]. In this way he was able to display a range of emotional expressions, from looking coolly suspicious to bored, from amused interest to the eye's affable wink and the features indicating the beginning of a conversation, all within the framework of the sitter's more or less spontaneous turning either towards or away from the viewer.The theatrical distance of costumed performers on the portrait stage subverted conventions; it was a hitherto unfamiliar observation of reality. While Hals was painting, he or an entertaining companion must have drawn the sitters out of their formal reserve time and again, provoking either amicable attention or manifestations of distance and willfulness. Comparisons with portraits by Hals's contemporaries demonstrate just how unusual it was for sitters to forget their composure. ‘Van Dyck's aristocratic world remained outside of Hals' ken. Hals' geni...

... id of rising and falling lines together with the light and shaded edges of the fabrics. This abstract pattern corresponds with the contours of the faces, collars, and cuffs, forming a visual framework for them.Hals’s experimentation can be appreciated in the juxtaposition of two paintings: Portrait of a man, c. 1640 [60] and Portrait of a man, c. 1643 [61]. Both are half-length portraits of unidentified sitters, lit from the side, featuring similar clothing, and both have their right hand placed on the chest in an affirmative gesture. Both were painted with a similar palette and their compositions are largely comparable. Yet, one can also observe that the earlier portrait was approached in an overall more figurative manner. The head is modelled consistently, collar and folds of the coat are rendered equally coherently. The contours run along similar lines, but we are still faced with entirely different temperaments of the sitters. This impression is based above all on the already quite liberated brushwork in the later portrait in Greifswald [62]. The diagonal movement of the many repeated parallel stripes creates an impression of something fleetingly perceived and equally captured with quick slashes of the brush. An independent dynamic seems to pervade the whole figure. What still appears here as a regular pattern was varied on by Hals in the 1650s in an increasingly loose form of paint application. However, after 1645 there are only a few pictures that are entirely autograph by him. They can only be dated indirectly, on the basis of their circumstances of creation, information about the sitter or stylistic observations. The latter can be interpreted in two directions, primarily in the emphasis on visual effects and the focus of the representation on momentary impressions. A typical example for the mixture of keen observation and intentional lack of definition is the Portrait of a man in Zurich (A1.129) [63], which in spite of an independent brushstroke displays a friendly, approachable expression. An even more liberated technical approach was adopted by Hals only in the Portrait of a man with a slouch hat, c. 1663-1664 (A1.130), as well as in some areas of the contemporary Regents of the Old Men's Almshouse (A3.62)....

... 3), therefore do not display a consistent execution. The main part of the regents’ portrait is attributable to Frans Hals himself, while the larger part of the depiction of the regentesses shows the assistant’s handwriting [67]. The differences between the two are recognizable in stylistic and technical terms. While the assistant worked in a flat manner with opaque, surface-covering paint, Hals’s own contributions are only thinly drawn, the facial details rendered in short narrow brushstrokes and delicate lines.More than almost any other master of European painting, Frans Hals demonstrates a continuous process of reflection. The carved-out modelling of what is visually significant – from the sitter’s bearing and gestures to their body movement and facial expression – gradually dissolves towards a basic impression of the facial features that, while only fleetingly observed, still manages to convey a lasting impact with just a few accents. This reduction into a ‘web’ of brushstrokes follows its own, quite comprehensible logic. It consistently leaves behind the traditional classical concepts of importance and the ‘Artistic’, while the focus remained convincingly on the fleeting momentary impression of emotional impulses as a valid and truthful conclusion....

5 The structure of the catalogue

... is the Portrait of Isaac Abrahsmz. Massa, dated 1635 (A4.1.11), which shows lines of copying points along the mouth and eyes.3 This means that the initial depiction of the face was used for both the engraving and the preserved painting. Without question, the engraving shows qualities which cannot be found with the same clarity in the painted portrait.The discussion whether these and other small-scale portraits are copies or originals can only be conducted on the basis of critical comparison of preserved objects and consideration of historical production procedure. In this context, connoisseurship is irreplaceable. There is no ‘technical evidence’ confirming or denying the authorship of a particular master, as is sometimes stated.4 No technical examination can distinguish the hand of the master from that of an assistant in the same workshop, or of a collaborator working with the same material and in the same process.A4.2 Genre paintings and A4.3 PortraitsWhere Hals’s assistants were granted the greatest flexibility was in portrait-like genre paintings. These similarly sized depictions of figures that were laughing, singing, drinking or playing music, represent a production for the open market – in contrast to commissioned portraits. It seems likely that different levels of execution quality commanded different levels of pricing. In addition, there is a considerable range in the quality of the paintings. There is no documentation about the extent to which the master gave his assistants instructions, and it is not evident from the works either. Within Hals’s workshop, there are different stylistic types. Historically, all these artworks are originals by Hals; with regard to research into his individual powers of expression and their development they are products of his supervision. Yet, even within the products from the Hals workshop, individual artistic achievements are recognizable – ranging from the New York Malle Babbe (A4.2.31), to the late male portrait in the Fitzwilliam Museum (A4.3.55). However, we can only tentatively put a name to these. Only the signed works by Jan Hals (I) form a distinct group, together with very closely related paintings. These have been included in the present catalogue, even though it is not certain if they were actually executed within Hals’s workshop or elsewhere.B Documentary workshop replicas, copies and variationsSeveral paintings by Hals are only documented through repetitions. Where there are several of these that are all based on the same composition, those that are closest to the date of creation and most reliable have been listed first. Furthermore, this section includes documentary partial repetitions and variants that reflect an original execution by Hals which does not survive accordingly in the preserved originals. These comparative examples serve the purpose of clarifying Hals’s subject matter and the understanding of his workshop practices, including the making of copies and variants.C Documentary engravingsEngravings after works by Hals can be divided into two main groups: contemporary and later reproductions. The first were purpose-driven, probably initiated by the painter or patron themselves in the majority of cases, and approved by them. These are portraits that commemorate esteemed priests, scholars and artists. In addition, there are amusing and entertaining representations of quirky individuals such as Verdonck and Peeckelhaering, who had aroused public interest, as well as a few moralising genre scenes.The second group contains works not envisaged by the artist, and consists of mostly much later reproductions of his paintings as examples of special representational quality. Other than Rembrandt (1606-1669), who often captured and distributed his own pictorial creations in engravings, Hals became known to a wider public only through engravings created after his work by other hands. Only a small part of Hals's public before the 19th century consisted of collectors of paintings and prints. The major part was composed of relatives, friends, admirers and followers of the people represented by Hals, as well as enthusiasts of bizarre expressive characters. Their interest was mainly directed towards the representation, while their interest in Hals's artisticity was limited. Admittedly, the engravings only hinted at his virtuoso ability.The remaining engravings can provide a detailed impression of Hals's creation of artworks that are no longer extant. But in many cases they can also record earlier states of preservation of paintings and qualities no longer visible in the pictures. The innovative general accessibility of engravings through online databases – such as RKD images, Graphikportal, the British Museum’s Collection Online, the Rijksmuseum’s Rijksstudio, and the online collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum – and the increasingly high-resolution of the images allow informative observations and comparisons. Accordingly, the 17th- and 18th-century engravings after works by Hals and his workshop have been included in the present catalogue in full, following the chronological sequence of Hals's models.D Paintings, drawings and watercolours as documentary copiesSometimes, only a drawing after a painting survives as documentation of the original composition. Sizes have often been changed and compositions reduced or altered. Occasionally, the original appearance of formerly brighter and more contrasting colors can also be glimpsed in such drawings and watercolour copies, especially with regard to dark shades and the design of the background.E AttributionsThis group consists of problematic cases among the preserved paintings, as long as these are still relevant for Hals-research or have become topical through recent findings and exhibitions. Previous suggestions for attributions from different sources are listed, as well as alternative proposals, the relevant literature references to the discussion are listed in the accompanying records in RKD images.X ImitationsIn the 17th and 18th centuries, copies and variations of Hals’s paintings were created, with the focus primarily on the subject matter and compositional innovation. It was only the discovery of Hals's style of painting as ‘Art’ in the modern sense – and the high prices that this type of paintings fetched – that led to the creation of free imitations by modern masters. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Hals was admired by Realists, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, many artworks were created that are now easily recognizable as forgeries and that can be verified as such because of their material characteristics. With very few exceptions, these are not included in the present catalogue, apart from those that are present in museum collections or the art historical literature about Hals as autograph works, or at least have been seriously considered as such....

A4.3.11 - A4.3.24

... his painting under UV-light revealed that the original monogram had been altered at a later stage, changing the i by inserting a horizontal line, creating...

... inct contours they are also summarized in a visually credible manner. The very narrow face, with its stylized eyes, appears rigid and aloof, its modelling almost reduced to contour lines only. These elements differ fundamentally from the sitters that were portrayed in the same period by Frans Hals, such as those in the por...

... s' Portrait of Adriaen van Ostade (A1.113). A comparison of the facial modelling in the two pictures certainly demonstrates a difference in manner of execution. However, the lower half of the present painting is comparable with the area of the arm and hands in the Portrait of Willem Coymans (A1.114). Moreover, the two folding edges of the sleeve and the extension of the collar edge in the diagonal fold in the sleeve, appear to be adopted from the same model [5]. Bearing in mind the unerring audacity in the hand of Willem Coymans, the timid imitation in this instance can only be attributed to a less experienced assistant. Overall, the execution of the fragile-looking, too narrow-shouldered figure has most in common with the Portrait of an unknown man, dated 1643 (A4.3.10)...

... haracteristics and the close similarities between these two group pictures. As in the entire late production of the Hals workshop, the faces and figures are characterized by a two-dimensional approach and the use of hard brushstrokes. Similar anatomical faux-pas as in other works can be observed in this group, especially in the clumsy execution of the hands [8][9]. While there is some bold brushwork on the collars and cuffs, it lacks the sophisticated variation in brightness, and the spatial effect that Hals was able to suggest in such a masterly manner.14According to MacLaren's analysis, the landscape background was painted after the figures had been completed.15 The backdrop of trees behind the figures, which has darkened significantly, and the view into the open landscape on the left were designed by the same landscape specialist who also cooperated on the family portrait in Madrid (A4.3.24). Slive attributed this part to Pieter de Molijn (1595-1661), even though his colors are generally lighter and he rendered foliage and trees in a more delicate and rhythmically structured manner.16 Thanks to the availability of sharply detailed photographs of landscape paintings by Cornelis Symonsz. van der Schalcke (1617-1671), we can discern a high level of correspondence with this master’s style. In comparison with several signed and dated paintings by Van der Schalcke, we can observe the same relatively dark, green-grey-brown color of the empty landscape, and the heavily overcast sky that darkens towards the upper edge of the picture plane. The contour of the dune landscape, which slightly rises diagonally to the right, is also similar.17...

... gland in the 17th century and had come to prominence there. Born around 1622/1623 in Rotterdam, she married Frederick Backer in Delft in 1648. Her portrait may have been painted in connection with their marriage.18The ...

... rederikstad, private collectionThis painting was first published in 1914 as a signed work by Harmen Hals (1611-1669).19 Howe...

... ts, they also fall into a standard size, given by the width of the looms. Even adding eight centimeters to the height, in order to balance out today's difference in comparison with the male portrait, would not resolve the fact that the female portrait is proportionally bigger, and the sitter is place closer to the picture plane. It is also rendered in a smoother style and probably painted earlier than the male portrait. The overall manner of execution shows a tendency to overemphasize contour lines – evident in the more drawn than painted areas of the nose, mouth, collar, and hands. Hals's typical attractive graduation of brightness is lacking. The areas of the dress – collar, bow, cuf...

... erly execution throughout differs from the hand of Frans Hals. This is apparent in the coarse brushstrokes modeling the clothing, most obviously the boot cuffs and stockings. The painter demonstrates a similar tendency as is visible in other works that shows the same hand: hands are blurred with little regard for proportions and wrists, and the facial features are reduced to the main contours. Other painting that have been executed by the same hand are the London family portrait (A4.3.19), and the large group of late works, including contributions to the Regents of the Old Men’s Almshouse (A3.62) and the Regentesses of the Old Men’s Almshouse (A3.63). The style of the background landscape is identical to that in the London family portrait as well, particularly in the muddy brown and dark green tones. In addition, the two trees set off against the sky behind the figures are rendered in a similar style as the trees in a pair of river landscapes in the British Royal Collection [13].24 In the present painting, the landscape is not a mere accessory in the composition, but it displays an independent artistic expression that can only be found in the far reaching views in the landscapes by Cornelis Symonsz. van der Schalcke (1617-1671)....

A4.2.31 - A4.2.43

... ly were employed in the Berlin painting. In contrast, the New York picture displays a bold brushwork that makes less use of the colored ground and the underlying modelling shades, instead adding an array of impasto brushstrokes. Even so, the present picture is an ...

... r in creating an impression of her appearance. At the same time, the varying representations of this person illustrate the range of simultaneous depictions of the same subject in varying qualities in the Hals workshop.A comparison with the subsequent painting (A4.2.33) indicates that the composition of the present picture was partly overpainted at some point. In the process, the clay pipe in the woman’s hand was covered. A last remnant of the motif can be seen in the peculiarly turned lower edge of the neck scarf. Also, the faint smoke rings remain visible. Hofstede de Groot noted that the background had been completely overpainted, an observation which could have been prompted by the same reworking process.3...

... the version in Lille (A4.2.32), and is rendered in a slightly coarser manner. The sitter ...

... iant performance; both visually understood and freely applied, similar to the softly modelled facial features of the child. Both the brittle hat and the dreamy child convey the vanitas concept. It was only George Romney (1734-1802) and Thomas Sully (1783-1872) who conjured something comparable from the same motifs, about 150 years later.5Hofrichter attributed the present painting to Judith Leyster (1609-1660).6 However, I see a more confident artist’s hand at work here, with a more painterly approach. As I do not have a solution for t...

... s of the composition may be by Hals himself, but could equally be the work of an assistant, for example the one who painted the Dublin Lute player (A4.3.7) and the Young man holding a lily in the Louvre (A4.2.47a). The discussion of whether Hals himself, or a practiced assistant was involved is also connected to the approach to the subject of the present painting as such. It is not a portrait which highlights an individual in her social importance, but rather a genre painting in which a type of person has been represented. In this case, the woman is most probably a prostitute, with a red flower in her voluminous hair. Hals’s characterization of figures on the fringes of society shows them in action and with lively facial expressions, but also as examples of uninhibited life and devotion to sensual pleasure. The merry tavern waitress (A1.14) and the young woman with her mischievous smile (A1.43) are the closest examples for such depictions of women. However, the present picture lacks the tangible emotional and momentaneous impression of the two autograph works by Hals. In this respect, Hals’s typical pictorial psychology is absent, or not yet sufficiently pronounce...

... llection, inv.no. 433Pendant to A4.2.38Slive referred to the unusually large monograms on these two ...

A4.2.21 - A4.2.30

... obably painted by the same hand as the boy in Antwerp (A4.2.20). The arrangement of the steeply sloping dunes is similar as well, albeit in reverse. The facial features are only captured in the outer contours and the main lines in the face. Subtle movements in the expression are excluded. A cursory brushstroke suggests the face, the jacket, and the basket. Hals&#x...

... been cut. It seems highly likely that the original format corresponded to that of the two subsequent variant. A comparison between the unsigned variant and the Cologne painting, clarifies that the white cloth of the collar, which formerly fell onto the chest, was partly painted over in the latter. Likewise, the sleeve and the cuff were covered up. Furthermore, the hat in the Cologne picture was reduced in size: in both the unsigned and the signed variant (A4.2.22b), it has a wide brim. The present painting was probably similarly monogrammed as the latter, the signature would have been located in the part that was cut off. Recently, X-ray examination was able to reveal these correlations, and at the same time ruled out the suspicion that the Cologne picture might be a later copy.1...

... r to that of the majority of the half-length figure paintings in this group. This is especially apparent in the modelling of the hands and the face.While Slive considered the present painting to have been created by a later follower of Frans Hals, I would assess the idiosyncratic, bold style of painting as an original achievement by...

... B.105._HWYWhat had been considered a partial copy of the fishe...

... ction, inv.no. 1961.036 000Slive noted the reduced size of this painting, indicated by...

... bly identical with (or a variant of) a work sold in Amsterdam in 1799 for five guilders and four stuivers.7 In 1920, it achieved the considerable price of 4800 guineas, and it was acquired by the Kress Foundation in 1933.8 At the time, it was considered to be an authentic painting by Frans Hals, and was still listed as such in the museum catalogue of 1960.9 However, by 1974 Slive described it as a follower’s ‘coarse imitation'.10 In the more recently published collection catalogue of 2009 i...

... ther half-length figures in dune landscapes. The figure has been rendered with wider, softer brushstrokes, and it is also known through a me...

... , close to the coarser hands that can be seen in the two family portraits in London (A4.3.19) and Madrid (A4.3.24). I would therefore assume that the same assistant who was employed in the execution of the family portraits, took even greater liberty in producing the present picture and the ones in Antwerp and Dublin. Hals himself could have laid out the composition, and, at the most, have prepared a sketch that formed the basis for the man’s face. Nevertheless, one needs to become accustomed to the idea that, in a workshop where the master created sensitive portraits, there could exist a second line of production for artworks executed in a broader manner, like the present painting. Once one has familiarized oneself to the idea that two such different styles coexisted within the same ...