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| Double portrait of an unknown couple, by Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1661. |
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| Joseph Coymans and Dorothea Berck, by Frans Hals, 1644. |
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| Note that he's wearing the left of a pair of gloves... |
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| ... and she the right. |
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| Marriage portraits of Henrick Hooft and Aegje Hasselaer, by Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, 1640. |
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| Double portrait of a married couple, by Pieter Codde, 1634. |
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| I love the detail of the discreetly held hands. |
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| Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit, by Rembrandt, 1634. |
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| Marriage portrait of Isaac Massa and Beatrix van der Laen, by Frans Hals, circa 1622. |
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| Unknown couple, Amsterdam School, 1612. |
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| These portraits of an unknown couple, painted as pendants by Rembrandt in 1633 have, sadly, been separated since 1793. |
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| "Portrait of a Young Woman with a Fan", which resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
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| "Portrait of a Man Rising from His Chair", which is in the collection of the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio. |
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| Abraham del Court and Maria de Kaersgieter, by Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1654. |
Noone painted portraits as beautifully as the Dutch in their Golden Age!
ReplyDeleteIn the marriage portrait of Isaac Massa and Beatrix van der Laen, Frans Hals showed the clothes as dull and a bit stiff, although I am sure the couple was completely in love. In Abraham del Court and Maria de Kaersgieter, Bartholomeus van der Helst made the material richer and more reflective, and even the flowers were delicate. With the Unknown Couple, getting the bride undressed would have been a major task.
I'm actually not a big fan of Frans Hals. He makes interesting and vivid compositions, but I don't like his dry, crude brushwork - the very thing that appeals to so many. On the other hand, I - really - like van der Helst's work here; he's not all that familiar to me, so I'll have to study him further!
DeleteWhy are they painted looking so unhappy {van der laens excepted}? Some even look sad. Not a lot of beautiful people here but love the clothes and those shoes! Why so much black?
ReplyDeleteAlways a treat to get your email. Thank you.
They don't look unhappy to me! I think they look pleasantly composed. Besides, it's only halfway through the twentieth century that you get the very American "smile for the camera" sort of portrait posing. As for all the black clothing, I'm not sure. I expect they were posing in their "best" clothes, but I don't know why there was so much black in general - something to do with religion? I think you should research this and get back to us! ; )
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