RKD STUDIES

Oil on canvas, 88.9 x 67.9 cm
Sale London (Christie’s), 24 June – 8 July 2022, lot 117

In this otherwise smoothly painted picture, the masterly rendering of the sleeves – with the shape and folds captured in a distinct brushstroke in secure nuances – stands out. The loose brushwork in these passages clearly differs from the rest of the painting and brings to mind Frans Hals’s characteristic style. Martin Bijl was the first to recognize this in 2014. If his observation can be further supported, and Hals was indeed responsible for the sleeve area, this would be an important clue that Hals may have trained in Amsterdam – as the rest of the portrait can be connected stylistically to Amsterdam portraiture of the early 17th century.

E1

Oil on panel, 65 x 87 cm
Formerly Berlin, Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, inv.no. 1691, burnt in 1945

It remains an open question whether the Banquet in a Park was a work by Frans Hals, Dirck Hals (1591-1656), or by an unidentified artist from the circle of Willem Buytewech (c. 1591/1592-1624).

E2

Oil on panel, 54.5 x 41.2 cm
Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, inv.no. 178

Valentiner attributed the Portrait of a Man to Hals, while Slive gave it to an unidentified Flemish painter.¹

E3

Oil on panel, 25.4 x 19 cm
Boston, private collection

This painting was recently published as an authentic work by Frans Hals from c. 1618-1620, and exhibited as such at the Frans Hals Museum, the National Gallery in London and the Rijksmuseum.² Nevertheless, in my view, it does not display Hals’s characteristic clarity of expression or treatment of anatomical details. This applies particularly to the design of the facial features [1]. Also, the design of the flat, elongated fingers appears alien to his manner [2][3], as does the rendering of the collar. In Hals's works, a dominent direction of brushstrokes can be observed, running diagonally from top right to bottom left. In addition, his contours and the emphasis on color are disciplined and precise, whithout any slips of the brush.

Stylistically, this painting is reminiscent of Willem Buytewech (c. 1591/92-1624), to whom it has been attributed on several occasions.³ Based on the clothing and style of execution, it could be dated around c. 1615. However, even this attribution is no longer tenable.⁴ The question as to whom painted this portrait thus remains unanswered for now.

E4

Oil on canvas, 73.7 x 59.1 cm, dated centre left: AETAT 86/A° 1628
New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery, inv.no. 1957.18.4

A smooth painting technique, peculiar observation of details, such as the deep creases on the face and hands, a stiff position of the hands: these elements do not correspond to Hals’s typical observation of a fleeting moment. In the present painting they have resulted in only a frozen smile, probably influenced by Hals, though.

E5

Oil on copper, 10.2 x 8.3 cm, inscribed centre right F. Hals / AEtat.9.
Sale New York (Christie’s), 21 May 1992, lot 116

The composition and painting technique differ distinctly from Hals’s style. The light that comes from the right-hand side is also different. But even assuming that Jan Stolker (1724-1785) has copied an unidentified engraving after an equally unidentified modello by Hals in this case, there are no similarities to Hals’s individual manner of painting.

E6

Oil on canvas, 119 x 84 cm
Moscow, Pushkin Museum, inv.no. Ж-2640

Based on the clothing, this painting can be dated to c. 1632-1635. The stiff pose and smooth manner of execution, as well as the minutely accentuated rendering of the woman’s face, point to an artist who was influenced by Hals, but who was not necessarily active in his workshop.

E7
© The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

Oil on canvas, 43.5 x 36 cm
Whereabouts unknown

Even though this painting’s paint layers are somewhat abraded, its charming observation of light is still visible. However, neither the composition nor the smooth painterly execution has anything to do with Hals. Only the stripy reflexes in the hair are reminiscent of his manner.

E8

Oil on canvas, 97 x 81 cm
Venlo, Limburgs Museum (on loan from the Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed, inv. no. B2764)

The theme of a rommelpot-player surrounded by children was highly popular and therefore it was often repeated by followers and copyists of Hals’s work. Considering the present painting’s subject and its manner of execution, it was probably made by one of Hals’s immediate followers, being the only work of its kind. Whether this follower picked up Hals’s topic and style in the master’s workshop, or learnt about these from the observation of individual paintings, such as The rommelpot-player at the Kimbell Art Museum (A4.2.1a), remains unclear.

E9

Oil on panel, 42 x 35.2 cm
Schwerin, Staatliches Museum, inv. no. G 53

Based on the quality of execution, especially in the face, earlier publications attributed this painting to Hals.⁵ The observation is concentrated on the central part of the face, where the brushwork is loose, emphasizing the diagonals in the man’s features. This handling was also used for the slightly raised eyebrows and the delicate modelling of the lips. A slight movement in the sitter’s face is thus convincingly suggested. At the same time, the differently lit eyes were captured confidently, and the facial features overall are modelled in subtle nuances. This is an imitation of Hals’s creative approach, even though the facial expression appears more reserved in its movement, and the overall brushwork is softer and less distinct. Conversely, the execution of the collar and the adjoining areas of the coat clearly differ from Hals’s painterly bravura. The painter of the present portrait was most likely already an independent artist who emulated Hals’s style in this instance.

E10

Oil on panel, 49 x 37.8 cm
London, Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. no. F.13

The composition of this painting and the turn of the man’s gaze seem to be influenced by Hals. Accordingly, the painting was long considered a work by his hand. Nevertheless, the smooth manner of painting and the rigid facial expression differ from the master’s approach. Even though the painting was neither included in the 1910 catalogue raisonné by Hofstede de Groot, nor in later literature on Frans Hals, it is still notable as a document of Hals’s influence on his contemporaries and the reception of his style.

E11

Oil on canvas, 77.4 x 63 cm
Cardiff, National Museum of Wales, inv. no. NMW A 25

The sitter’s pose is reminiscent of portraits by Hals, even though the direction of her gaze and her expression are not as clearly defined. The modelling of the head and hands, but also the bonnet and the collar, are smooth and differ from Hals’s loose style of painting.

E12
© Amgueddfa Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Oil on canvas, 69.3 x 52.5 cm
Göteborg, Göteborgs Konstmuseum, inv.no. 733

This painting has been attributed to Hals in the older literature, until Slive included it under his doubtful attributions as: ‘Probably a nineteenth-century falsification. […] neither the original canvas support nor the paint surface dates from Hals's time […]’.⁶

E12A

Oil on canvas, 113 x 82.5 cm, monogrammed lower right: FHALS
St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum, inv.no. 986

This painting can be dated c. 1640-1650, on the basis of general stylistic features. The question of the signature remains interesting; it possibly is the result of a combination of a ligated monogram FH with the letters ALS. If we take this signature seriously and look for stylistic similarities with the work of artists from Hals’s circle, the only possible candidate for this painting would be Pieter van Roestraeten (1630-1700).

E13
Image taken from www.hermitagemuseum.org, courtesy of The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Oil on canvas, 77.5 x 62.2 cm
Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Art, inv.no. 83.6.2

Valentiner included this painting in his catalogue raisonné but expressed doubts about the attribution and date of c. 1623.⁷ Stylistically, it is definitely later, and the execution clearly diverges from Hals and his immediate circle.

E14

Oil on canvas, 85.5 x 65.5 cm, signed and dated left: F. HALS / f. 1651
The Hague, Museum Bredius, inv. no. 51-1946

So far, this is the only painting that clearly differs stylistically from the work of Frans Hals and his son Jan Hals (c. 1620-c. 1654), while bearing a signature that can be interpreted as HALS, and originating from the time of their active careers. The signature has been repeatedly connected to Frans Hals (II) (1618-1669), whose autograph style cannot be established via any securely attributed work. In the 1978 collection catalogue of Museum Bredius, Blankert mentioned the – in his opinion – ‘copy-like character’ of the painting.⁸

E15

Oil on canvas, 110 x 81.5 cm
Whereabouts unknown

This painting is known only through two photographs, one taken prior to overpainting and another, after the scene had been modified to meet the idea of ‘Frans Hals’. The supposed identification of the sitter as Adam van Hasevelt (1620-1661), should be discarded due to a lack of resemblance. Van Hasevelt was Regent of the Alms-, Poor and Workhouse in Haarlem, and is portrayed as second from the left in a 1659 group portrait by Jacob van Loo (1614-1670).⁹

E16

Oil on canvas, 91 x 73 cm
Sale London (Phillips), 14 March 1977, lot 31

Slive drew attention to this painting, which corresponds to the mezzotint by Samuel Okey (active c. 1748-1774)[4]. The signature on the engraving reads J. Halls and both Wurzbach and Hollstein listed the engraving as the only known reproduction after a painting by Jan Hals (c. 1620-c. 1654) accordingly. Slive, however suggested that the signature can also be interpreted as F. Halls.¹⁰ In the strikingly fashionable elements of collar and cuffs, this portrait is datable to the late 1660s. Thus, the modello for the present painting would have most likely been executed by Frans Hals (II) (1618-1669).

E17

Oil on panel, 24.5 x 20 cm
Sale Zürich (Koller) 22 March 2016, lot 3043

The entry in the 2016 sale catalogue – citing from a report of Pieter Biesboer dated 31 March 2013 – states that this painting is a portrait of the artist’s brother Isaac Laurensz. van der Vinne (1625-1665), at age 26. It can be related to the self-portrait of Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne (1628-1702) from the same year [5], and a portrait of his other brother, Jacob Laurensz. van der Vinne (1619-1694), dated 1652 [6].

Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne was a pupil of Frans Hals from 1646 to 1647. The presence of the FH monogram, scratched into the paint layers of the background and thus forming an original part of the painting, suggests that the present – somewhat helpless – portrait may have been executed in the Hals studio.

E18
© Koller Auktionen

5
Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne (I)
Zelfportret van Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne (1628-1702), 1651 gedateerd
Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum, inv./cat.nr. OS I-243

6
toegeschreven aan Vincent Laurensz. van der Vinne (I)
Portret van Jacob Laurensz. van der Vinne (1619-1694), 1652 gedateerd
Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum, inv./cat.nr. OSI-343

Oil on panel, 64 x 49.5 cm, monogrammed center right FH. Inscription upper left AETA. SVAE 32
Art dealer D. Katz, Dieren, 1960

On the basis of the monogram, this painting was exhibited in 1957 as an autograph work by Frans Hals at the gallery of art dealer D. Katz in Dieren. The annotations in the RKD’s documentation illustrate that this attribution could not be maintained, yet finding an alternative proved difficult. Van Gelder presumably suggested the Delft-born painter Maerten Pietersz. Deym (c. 1566/1567-1624) as the creator of this portrait. More likely, however, the portrait was painted by Jan Hals (c. 1620-c. 1654).

E19