Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast John Bezold

In the eighth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss a painting titled 'The Rommelpot Player', which is in the collection of the Kimbell Art Museum; which it has been part of, since 1964. It was purchased by the Kimbells, in 1951. Slive numbered it five, in his 1974 Hals catalogue. Most Hals scholars name it a copy, or variant, or a replica, etc. Grimm names it 'workshop'. In the work, a central figure, an older man, is prominent in the foreground, smiling broadly as he interacts with a group of children. He holds a rommelpot, drawing the viewer’s attention with his extended arm. He gazes left toward the viewer; with a ruddy complexion, full beard, and glinting eyes suggesting a moment of fleeting joyful. This is a difficult painting to appreciate, as well as visually decipher. But sustained looking offers unexpected nuances in finding variation, of attention to finish and detail in different patches across the canvas; the search being a true intellectual delight.

To learn more about the work, visit the Kimbell Art Museum website.

Learn more about the iconography of rommelpots, on Essential Vermeer.

Read the 2023 catalogue chapter 'Genre Paintings by Workshop Assistants, Based on Designs by Hals', by Claus Grimm.

You can find John on X ⁠⁠@johnbezold⁠⁠ and at his website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠johnbezold.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast' is published by ⁠⁠Semicolon-Press.

In the seventh episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' portrait of 'Willem van Heythuyen', which is in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek, in Munich; which it has been part of, since 1969. The painting was purchased for about 18 million Euros, c. 2024; or, about 12 million 1969 German Marks—the most expensive painter ever sold at the time. Slive numbered the work number 31, in his 1974 catalogue; Grimm catalogued it as number 23, in his 1989 catalogue. It is a full-length portrait of Heythuysen (c. 1590-1650), with his right hand on his hip and his left hand resting on the hilt of a sword. He is set against a large draped curtain in a rich burgundy hue on the right, while to his left, an Italianate landscape is visible—in which a couple can be seen. Standing confidently, Heythuysen is fashionable, and proud; which together, make for a lusciously landscaped life-sized portrait, by Frans Hals.

To learn more about the painting's landscape, read the 2023 chapter 'Collaborations with Other Artists', by Claus Grimm.

You can find the 2006 portrait by Kehinde Wiley, in the ⁠Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

You can find John on X ⁠@johnbezold⁠ and at his website ⁠⁠⁠⁠johnbezold.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast' is published by ⁠Semicolon-Press.

In the sixth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' double portrait of 'Catherina Hooft and Her Nurse', which is in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie, in Berlin; which is has been part of, since 1874. The painting was secured on behalf of the museum by Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929), and the painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars, universally. Slive numbered the work number 14, in his 1974 catalogue; Grimm catalogued it as number 5, in his 1989 catalogue. The painting features a woman and a child—a nurse and a baby—who is Catherine Hooft, who lived from 1618 to 1691; who was born into the wealthy and powerful regent classes of Amsterdam; and who was related to many of the power players of the day. She was the second wife of the once Mayor of Amsterdam, Cornelis de Graeff (1599-1664). Much of what is known about the painting today is due to the work of Dutch art historian, and archivist, Bas Dudok van Heel (1938-), who is responsible for reconstructing the painting's provenance. The painting is hardly ever on exhibition, outside of Berlin, and was last included in a Hals exhibition, in 1989.

To learn more about the De Graeff family, visit the website of the archives of the city of Amsterdam.

You can find John on X @johnbezold and at his website ⁠⁠⁠johnbezold.com⁠⁠⁠.

'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast' is published by Semicolon-Press.

In the fifth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' genre painting titled Laughing Fisherboy, which is in a private collection. The painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars Cornelius Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), Ernst Wilhelm Moes (1864-1912), Wilhelm Valentiner (1880-1958), and Seymour Slive (1920-2014). Slive numbered the work number 55, in his 1974 catalogue. The painting shows a lively portrait of a young man, caught in a moment of laughter, set against a backdrop of a dune landscape. The subject is more than likely standing, facing the viewer, and he is turned slightly to his right. His body is angled away, but his head is turned toward the viewer, engaging the viewer with direct eye contact. His mouth is open wide as if he is laughing heartily, and his eyes are crinkled with look of joy. The expression is vivid and dynamic, suggesting a spontaneous response to an amusing situation. The painting is located in a private collection and is hardly ever on view; it was last exhibited, in 1962.

To learn more about 'fisher children' by Hals, read Susan Koslow's 1975 article entitled ‘Frans Hals’s Fisherboys: Exemplars of Idleness’.

See also, chapter three, of Dennis P. Weller's 2022 book, Frans Hals in America: Collectors, Scholars, and Connoisseurs.

You can find John on X @johnbezold and at his website ⁠⁠⁠johnbezold.com⁠⁠⁠.

'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast' is published by Semicolon-Press.

In the fourth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' portrait of Michiel de Wael, which is in the collection of the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars Cornelius Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), Seymour Slive (1920-2014), and Claus Grimm (1930). Slive numbered the work number 85, in his 1974 catalogue. The painting depicts a man, who has throughout history, either been identified as Michiel de Wael, or not, depending on the art historian in question. He is portrayed at a three quarter length, and is turned slightly to his right; wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, framing his face and adding to the proud sense of his stature. His hair is not fully visible, but a mustache and goatee are neatly groomed, giving him a look that was fashionable among the Dutch gentry of the time. More recently, he has been identified by historians and curators as being the pendant to a panel painting of Cunera van Baersdorp, who hailed from a political family in Leiden. The Taft Museum of Art is a fixed collection, meaning that this painting is hardly ever on view, outside of Cincinnati—and was last exhibited, in the late-1950s.

To learn more about the Taft Museum of Art, read an essay on the history of the Hals pendants, in the collection.

Learn more about Thinking with Things, by Esther Pasztory.

You can find John on X @johnbezold and at his website ⁠⁠⁠johnbezold.com⁠⁠⁠.

'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast' is published by Semicolon-Press.

In the third episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals and Claes van Heussen's 1630 'Fruit and Vegetable Seller', which is in a private collection in England, and is hardly ever on display. The painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars Cornelius Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), Seymour Slive (1920-2014), and Claus Grimm (1930). Slive numbered the work number 70, in his 1974 catalogue. The painting depicts a market scene focused on a central female figure, who stands at a three-quarters angle to the viewer, her head turned to face the viewer, with a faint, coy suggestion of a smile. It is the only painting by Hals to have a date, that is not a commissioned portrait; instead, straddling the line between a still life, market-scene, and a genre painting. It is long thought that it was not painted to be a 'portrait', in the traditional sense; and so the sitter's identity is unknown. Near the end of the episode, parallels are drawn between large scale paintings depicting fruits, vegetables, pork, and meats—like those produced in Antwerp during the 1500s and early 1600s, by artists such as Joachim Beuckelaer (1533-1574) and Frans Snyders (1579-1657)—and that of Hals and Van Heussen.

To learn more about Flemish 'market-scenes', have a read of Elizabeth Alice Honig's Painting and the Market in Early Modern Antwerp (Yale University Press, 1998).

You can find John on X @johnbezold and at his website ⁠⁠⁠johnbezold.com⁠⁠⁠.

'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast' is published by Semicolon-Press.