Frans Hals

The Laughing Cavalier — Dutch portraiture

The master of the instantaneous. His portraits capture the flicker of a smile, the flash of an eye, with a bravura brushwork so loose and free that Manet and the Impressionists claimed him as an ancestor. The late regent group portraits, painted in near-poverty, are among the most powerful works of the Dutch Golden Age.

Key works

• The Laughing Cavalier1624— He's not laughing — but the bravura is irresistible
  Wallace Collection, London
• Regentesses of the Old Men's Almshouse1664— Late masterpiece — stark, unflinching
  Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem

Connections

External