Portrait of Paulus van Beresteyn

The Portrait of Paulus van Beresteyn attributed to Frans Hals with a date of around 1700 presents an attribution challenge: Hals died in 1666. Paulus van Beresteyn was a wealthy Haarlem regent depicted in an authentic Hals portrait from the 1620s now divided between the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum. A portrait dated 1700 under Hals's name is therefore either a much later copy after the authentic Hals portrait, a mistaken attribution to another Dutch portraitist, or a work carrying an incorrect date. The authentic Hals portrait of Beresteyn is one of his most important civic portraits.

The authentic Hals portrait of Beresteyn is characterized by the dynamic brushwork and psychological immediacy that define Hals's mature style — confident, slashing strokes that capture gesture and expression with extraordinary economy. A copy would preserve the composition while lacking this spontaneous energy.