RKD STUDIES

Copper engraving, 419 x 246 mm
The Hague, RKD - Netherlands Institute For Art History

This portrait print of Jacob van Campen (1659-1657) is probably based on the same modello as the painting in Amiens [1]. The engraving was used as the frontispiece of the book Afbeelding van ’t Stadt Huys van Amsterdam, in dartigh coopere plaaten […], Amsterdam 1661. Below the portrait, the verse reads:

‘Such was the impression of the inimitable master builder
Of his eighth wonder building, the Amsterdam Town Hall.
His spirit radiates widely and joyfully into the eye of the beholder,
From all works created by this artistry.
His never-ending praise will last more and longer than all other endeavour’.¹

C51

Etching, 64 x 80 mm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-P-OB-62.705

This portrait print of Jacob van Campen (1659-1657) has most likely a common modello with the one by Abraham Lutma (1628-1692) (C51). Different from Lutma’s variant, this print follows the Amiens painting [1] more faithfully by representing the sitter with his hat. In the background, Van Campen’s most notable architectural work, the Amsterdam Town Hall, is visible on the left. The portrait is framed in an ouroboros flanked by a vegetal wreath – probably symbolizing eternity and abundance. This frame is superimposed on a secondary rectangular cartouche that mentions the name of the sitter at the top.

C52

Mezzotint, 122 x 98 mm, signed lower right: VvVinne Fec
Haarlem, Noord-Hollands Archief, inv.no. NL-HlmNHA_53014201_K

Print based on the painting in Toronto [2]. In the mezzotint, the sitter has a much longer nose and the distance between the nose and mouth is smaller. These facial proportions bear a closer resemblance to those in the drawing by Leendert van der Cooghen (1632-1681)[3].

C53

2
workshop of Frans Hals (I), possibly Frans Hals (II)
Portrait of Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne
canvas, oil paint, 64.7 x 48.9 cm
Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, inv.no. 54/32
Photo: © AGO
cat.no. A4.3.47

3
Leendert van der Cooghen
Portrait of Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne (1628-1702), early 1660s
Berlin (city, Germany), Kupferstichkabinett der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, inv./cat.nr. 4378
cat.no. D93

Mezzotint, 406 x 282 mm
London, British Museum, inv.no. 1902,1011.7484

A proof from a very damaged plate. Labelled under the illustration: Harry Hals.

C54
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Copper engraving, 388 x 255 mm, signed lower right: A. Blotelingh sculpsit.
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-P-1907-2987

Based on the painted portrait in Amiens (A4.3.51), by an assistant of Hals [4]. Below the portrait, a eulogy is printed in two blocks of text in Latin and Dutch

‘To all heretics, the world, waverers and sinners
He was everything, shipwreck or sea, guiding star or earthquake
In his heart, a devotee of God; in his soul, a ray of light; in his voice
A Paul in his eloquence, a rare glory to the apostolic flock.
A bachelor, he was married to his books, and a man to whom
His life was a labour devoted to propagating children for Heaven
Such – O, how sad to say! – was his likeness here on earth in Amsterdam’.²

‘Lauded by his admirers, but never in full due.
Whose gracefulness gives praise to the Godhead.
The mere mention of his name is to honour him
For his matchless gifts and wisdom supreme.
To whose golden tongue thousands are beholden
Who now, upon his death, fearful sighs must heave.
Langelius, the gifts he brought to Sion,
From them do God, and he, and it, pluck summer fruits’.³

C55

Copper engraving and etching, 152 x 97 mm
The Hague, RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History

Copper engraving from the famous collection of artists’ biographies by Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719): De Groote Schouburgh der Nederlantsche Konstschilders en Schilderessen, published in Amsterdam in 1718-1721. The so-called portrait of Frans Hals is based on the master’s Portrait of a seated gentleman in St. Petersburg (A3.53A), prior to the overpainting of the hat. The engraving is as close to the painting as is the drawn copy in London (D72) [5] and therefore establishes a terminus post quem for the later overpainting of the original composition.

Mezzotint, 125 x 104 mm, signed and dated lower right: C. V. Noorde. fe: 1767
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-P-1883-A-6918

Non-reversed rendering, consistent with the various painted representations that go back to Hals’s self-portrait from c. 1648-1650 (B17).

C57

Mezzotint, 355 x 255 mm, signed lower right: S. Okey Junʳ. fecit.
London, British Museum, inv.no. 2010,7081.2660

This mezzotint features the same composition and sitter as the anonymous Portrait of a seated man [6] which probably served as the modello for the print. The inscription in the lower left corner of the print can be read as J. Halls pinxit. In several older publications, this print was listed as the only artwork that documents a painting by Jan Hals (c. 1620-c. 1654).⁴

C58
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Mezzotint, 247 x 200 mm, signed and dated lower right: R. Brookshaw fecit 1779.
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-P-1906-3004

Even though the inscription below the portrait gives a hint about the whereabouts of the painting that served as the example, no modello is known nowadays that matches this engraving.[5] Nevertheless, the individual facial features are well observed and reflect the shapes that are recognizable in the various versions of Hals’s self-portrait (B17). In the present representation, the face is moved somewhat towards the right, and the modelling of the shadows is slightly altered, as is the direction of the gaze. It is conceivable that an independent model existed for the engraver, or that he developed a fairly plausible variant on his own, on the basis of one of the versions of the self-portrait.

C59

Mezzotint, 111 x 93 mm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-P-1906-3290

This print by Johannes de Groot (c. 1688/1689-after 1776) is probably part of a series of mezzotints, together with Boy with a rommel-pot (C61), Boy with an owl (C62), and Boy with a bowl and spoon (C63). This assumption is supported by the almost identical dimensions, the presence of the same FH monogram, and the stylistic similarities. Moreover, three of these prints entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum in the same year, suggesting that they were sold as a series of three, without Boy with a bowl and spoon (C63).

The modello for this print is unknown. The only connection with Hals is made through the monogram that indicates the alleged inspiration. The closest link one can make is with Hals’ Portrait of Isabella Coymans (A1.120) which depicts the sitter holding a rose, looking in the same direction as the young girl in the mezzotint. However, the luxurious gown from the painting is transformed into a simple dress in the print, and the loose hair is tied up. The presence of a slight double chin, a similar smile and facial features may indeed point to a connection between the two, as the face of the girl is too aged.

C60

Mezzotint, 109 x 93 mm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-P-1906-3292

This mezzotint depicts a smiling boy playing the friction drum, facing left. The modello for this depiction was most likely a motif invented by Hals and currently still known through the painting created in his workshop (A4.2.1a). The boy in the mezzotint, if reversed, matches quite closely with the main figure in the Rommel-pot player in gestures, expression, clothing, and composition. Therefore, it is safe to assume that Johannes de Groot (c. 1688/1689-after 1776) adopted Hals’s protagonist and depicted him as a boy without a hat. As both Grimm and Slive have shown, Hals’s motif exists in multiple variants. It is thus uncertain whether De Groot’s mezzotint bases itself strictly on the composition of the painted Rommel-pot player or on later interpretations.

C61

Mezzotint, 109 x 98 mm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-P-1906-3291

This print depicts a boy looking downwards with a caring expression. He wears a hat and a buttoned shirt with a visible white cuff on the left hand. On the same hand, he carries an owl that faces right. Even though the owl’s face is shaded, judging from the feathers and size of the bird, it is most likely a tawny or barn owl.

The inspiration for this print is most probably Hals’s motif of Malle Babbe, carrying an owl on her shoulder (A1.103). Slive connects the motif with the Dutch sayings ‘Elck meent zijn uil een valk te zijn’ (Everybody regards his owl as a falcon) and ‘Hij is zoo beschonken als een uil’ (He is as drunk as an owl).[6] The caring attitude of the boy and his young age suggest that the first saying is probably the most relevant for the print, whereas the second expression is more fitting to the depictions of Malle Babbe holding a pewter pitcher. When reversing the print in order to better compare the composition to the painted Malle Babbe, we see that Johannes de Groot (c. 1688/1689-after 1776) has not directly copied his example. However, in both works, the protagonist has a downward gaze and a similar smile, and the owls appear quite similar as well.

C62

Mezzotint, 110 x 95 mm, signed center-right: J Groot/ fecit
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv.no. RP-P-1890-A-15376

Despite bearing a somewhat different FH monogram, there is reason to believe this print is connected to the other three mezzotints featuring half-length depictions of children by Johannes de Groot (c. 1688/1689-after 1776), considering their similar size, subject, composition and manner of execution (C60, C61, C62). Even though the print is dubbed as a boy with a bowl and a spoon, there is room to believe that the boy is actually holding a friction drum, connecting it thus with the motif of the Rommel-pot player (A4.2.1a). When reversed and compared to the main figure from the surviving paintings, a number of similarities can be identified. The hat of the modello is turned into a beret that keeps a similar tail, even if probably made out of feathers. Also, the boy wears a similar buttoned shirt with loose shoulders. The positioning of the figures’ tilted heads coincides as well, together with how their hands hold their circular objects.

C63

Mezzotint, 122 x 98 mm
London, British Museum, inv.no. Sheepshanks.7688

This mezzotint was executed after Hals’s Laughing boy with a flute in Schwerin [7]. The print follows the modello quite closely, keeping even the original round shape of the painting, placed in a darkened square which functions as a sort of frame. The figure is represented without any notable changes.

C64
© The Trustees of the British Museum