Hals, Frans (c.1582-1666)
The Laughing Cavalier
1624
Oil on canvas, 83 x 67.3 cm
Wallace Collection, London
A highly gifted portraitist, Frans Hals had a supreme ability to characterise his sitters and make them appear lifelike. This exuberant portrait of a young man, aged 26, wearing a flamboyant costume is his most famous painting. The man’s confident pose with his left hand on his hip, upturned hat and moustache, and coy expression, imbue the portrait with a unique vitality. The black sash is particularly noteworthy as it showcases Hals’s dazzling capacity to paint using a limited colour palette, leading Vincent van Gogh to exclaim that “Frans Hals must have had 27 blacks”! (Wallace)