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Lot Essay
The present lot is a superb and characteristic example of Hals's portraiture when the artist was at the height of his powers and popularity. This imposing three-quarter length portrait of an unidentified man in his prime, with his self-assured posture, right hand on hip, and frank unaffected gaze at the spectator, is typical of a group of portraits by the artist that show a shift in his style during the 1630s. Another superb example, of almost identical size and pose of sitter, is in the collection of H.M. the Queen, Windsor Castle, England (the only significant difference being that in the Queen's picture the sitter holds gloves rather than a hat in his left hand, and the sitter in the present work hold his gloves in his right hand; see S. Slive, in the catalogue of the exhibition, Frans Hals, Royal Academy of Art, London, 1989, pp. 242-3, no. 38, illustrated in color).
During the 1630s, Hals's paintings took on a greater unity and simplicity, the figures becoming more monumental, the colors increasingly monochromatic, and the silhouettes more regular. Altogether, the portraits from this period in Hals's oeuvre display a form of restraint that one does not usually associate with the artist. Hals's sitters were generally from the wealthy merchant class, and these portraits, through their sense of intimacy and their sensitivity of characterization, brilliantly convey the artist's sympathy with his subjects. The peripatetic Dr. G.F. Waagen recognized Frans Hals's universal genius in the portrait in the royal collection when he wrote in 1854: 'In my opinion the real value of this painter in the history of Dutch painting has never been sufficiently appreciated'. However, soon after Waagen's death in 1868 there was a critical reappraisal of Hals's work (largely thanks to the efforts of the influential art critic, Thor-Brger) and, as Seymour Slive writes, 'Hals acquired a secure place in the pantheon of Western painters' (Slive, loc. cit., 1989).
Valentiner (op. cit.) believed that the present painting once had a pendant, now in a private collection England (S. Slive, op. cit., 1970, p. 64, no. 120, II, plate 190).
During the 1630s, Hals's paintings took on a greater unity and simplicity, the figures becoming more monumental, the colors increasingly monochromatic, and the silhouettes more regular. Altogether, the portraits from this period in Hals's oeuvre display a form of restraint that one does not usually associate with the artist. Hals's sitters were generally from the wealthy merchant class, and these portraits, through their sense of intimacy and their sensitivity of characterization, brilliantly convey the artist's sympathy with his subjects. The peripatetic Dr. G.F. Waagen recognized Frans Hals's universal genius in the portrait in the royal collection when he wrote in 1854: 'In my opinion the real value of this painter in the history of Dutch painting has never been sufficiently appreciated'. However, soon after Waagen's death in 1868 there was a critical reappraisal of Hals's work (largely thanks to the efforts of the influential art critic, Thor-Brger) and, as Seymour Slive writes, 'Hals acquired a secure place in the pantheon of Western painters' (Slive, loc. cit., 1989).
Valentiner (op. cit.) believed that the present painting once had a pendant, now in a private collection England (S. Slive, op. cit., 1970, p. 64, no. 120, II, plate 190).