– Amsterdam former mayor and wife in Frans Hal portraits
– Sitters in Frans Hal portraits of Amsterdam’s ex-mayor and spouse.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
In the early 17th century, Amsterdam’s militia commissioned the renowned Haarlem painter, Frans Hals, to create their portrait. However, due to a disagreement with Hals, the painting was left unfinished, providing an opportunity for a clever newlywed couple to seize the artist’s attention.
Recent research conducted at the Rijksmuseum has unveiled the identities of the subjects in a pair of marital portraits painted by Hals around 1637. These portraits depict Jan van de Poll, a seven-time mayor of Amsterdam, and his wife Duifje van Gerwen.
Jan van de Poll, born in 1597 and living until 1678, married Duifje van Gerwen in 1637. Van de Poll, who served as a mayor and reached the rank of colonel in the city militia, was a prominent figure in Amsterdam. On the other hand, Duifje van Gerwen, born in 1618 as the youngest daughter of a wealthy wine dealer, tragically passed away at the age of 40.
The Rijksmuseum researchers identified the couple by comparing the man’s image in the portraits to other paintings from the same era. Through this analysis, the true identities of Jan van de Poll and Duifje van Gerwen were revealed.
Dr. Jonathan Bikker, curator of 17th-century Dutch painting at the Rijksmuseum, had long been puzzled by the original attribution of the sitters in the portraits. After thorough research and examination of historical documents, he was able to debunk the previous identifications and establish the true identities of the subjects.
Frans Hals, the celebrated portraitist behind these paintings, was born in Antwerp around 1582 and later moved to Haarlem with his family. Known for his masterful portraits, Hals was a sought-after artist in his time, especially after Rembrandt ceased painting portraits in 1635.
The pendant portraits of Jan van de Poll and Duifje van Gerwen will be on display at the Rijksmuseum until June 9th before being showcased at Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie as part of an exhibition on Frans Hals and his contemporaries.
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Amsterdam former mayor Frans Hal portraits
Amsterdam mayor wife Frans Hal portraits.
