HALS, Frans
(b. 1580, Antwerpen, d. 1666, Haarlem)

Tronie of a Young Man

c. 1638
Oil on oak panel, diameter 39 cm
Private collection

This tronie depicts a young man in the costume of an actor. The beret identifies him as an actor, and the picture immediately calls to mind Hals's most famous depiction of that subject, the Young Man Holding a Skull (Vanitas), which is often known as Hamlet.