Laughing boy with wineglass

Laughing Boy with Wineglass from 1628 by Judith Leyster is an early work capturing the spontaneous expression that was one of the hallmarks of Haarlem genre painting under the influence of Frans Hals. The laughing figure with a glass of wine embodied the convivial spirit celebrated in Dutch genre painting. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays warm, informal genre scenes influenced by Frans Hals but with distinctive psychological warmth, confident brushwork, candlelit subjects.

The quick, bold brushwork captures the fleeting expression of laughter with the spontaneity associated with the Hals circle, the wineglass adding genre symbolism to the animated portrait.