FRANS HALS AND HIS WORKSHOP
‘[…] the most glorious blacks against the most glorious whites — the heads — some twenty — sparkling with spirit and life, and how they’re done! and what colour! the superb appearance of all those fellows, full length. But that orange, white, blue chap in the left corner — — …… I’ve seldom seen a more divinely beautiful figure — — it’s something marvellous. Delacroix would have adored it — just adored it to the utmost. I stood there literally rooted to the spot’
– Vincent van Gogh on Frans Hals’s Militia company of district XI, also known as The meagre company.1
and Pieter Codde Frans Hals (I)
Militia company of district XI under the command of captain Reynier Reael (1588-1648) and lieutenant Cornelis Michielsz Blaeuw, 16331637
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-C-374
Notes
1 Letter 534, Vincent van Gogh to Theo Van Gogh, 10 October 1885. Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv.no. b466 a-c V/1962.