Jan Stolker (1724–1785), Attributed to - Lachende jongen met hoed (No Reserve)

Artist: attributed to Jan Stolker (1724–1785)
After: Frans Hals
Title: Laughing Boy with Hat
Medium: color drawing on paper
Dimensions of work: 14.3 × 14.3 cm
Dimensions including frame: 28.5 × 28.5 cm
Framing: behind glass, with blue mat

An expressive color study on paper of a laughing boy wearing a dark, tilted hat. The work is attributed to the Dutch painter, draftsman and printmaker Jan Stolker, after Frans Hals.

The boy is shown up close within a circular composition. His open mouth, visible teeth and lively gaze determine the character of the piece. The dark hat and background contrast with the illuminated face, executed in warm brownish-red tones. Light accents emphasize the forehead, eyes, nose and cheeks. Dark, curved lines indicate the hair and the folds of the clothing.

The portrait aligns with the Dutch tradition of the tronies: a study of a characteristic face or a particular mood. The emphasis is on expression and painterly effect. The laughing child was a subject in which Frans Hals was able to capture the fleetingness of a facial expression with particular conviction.

About the artist

Jan Stolker (1724–1785) was active as a painter, draftsman and printmaker. In addition to his own work, he produced copies of paintings by seventeenth-century masters. He worked with brush and watercolors on paper, among others. His interest lay in old Dutch painting, including works by Frans Hals and Gabriël Metsu.

Such copies had an autonomous place within drawing and collecting in the eighteenth century. They offered enthusiasts the opportunity to study and collect compositions by admired masters in a different format and medium. The attribution of this sheet to Stolker places it within this tradition.

Execution and presentation

The circular study is framed behind glass, with a blue mat in a dark frame. The mat provides space for the small work and forms a color contrast with the warm tones of the face and clothing.

The paper has yellowed. A small corner of the sheet is missing. This missing portion is located behind the edge of the mat and is visible in the image of the inner back side.

The work "Laughing Boy with Hat" is in a black wooden frame behind glass with a blue mat

Total dimensions: 28.5 × 28.5 cm
Media dimensions: 14.3 × 14.3 cm

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