Willem Coymans
Frans Hals·1645
Historical Context
Hals's Willem Coymans (1645) at the National Gallery of Art depicts a young man of the wealthy Amsterdam family — the Coymans were among the most prosperous merchant dynasties in the Dutch Republic — with the relaxed, confident bearing that Hals captured so effectively in his portraits of young men of the commercial elite. The easy, slightly negligent pose and the direct, somewhat amused gaze communicate the self-assurance of youth and prosperity without the formality that older or more conservative portrait subjects demanded. Hals's ability to capture the specific psychological register of youthful confidence distinguished his portraits of young men from the more measured dignity of his older sitters.
Technical Analysis
Hals's mature brushwork is brilliantly evident, with broad, slashing strokes defining the costume and a more nuanced touch for the animated face. The compositional device of the figure turning toward the viewer with one hand on hip creates dynamic asymmetry. The palette is restricted to blacks, whites, and warm flesh tones.
Provenance
Coymans family, Haarlem. Mrs. Frederick Wollaston, London. (Sedelmeyer Gallery, Paris), before 1894; Rodolphe Kann [d. 1905], Paris, by 1897; purchased 1907 with the entire Kann collection by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); sold to Arabella D. [Mrs. Collis P.] Huntington [c. 1850-1924], New York; by inheritance to her son, Archer M. Huntington [1870-1955], New York; purchased 17 May 1928 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc.);[1] sold 7 May 1929 to Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; deeded 28 December 1934 to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh; gift 1937 to NGA. [1] Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles: reel 322, box 467, folder 2 (copies in NGA curatorial files).
