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

Portrait of a Man

c. 1627
Oil on canvas, 20 x 14 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

Following a Renaissance portrait formula, Hals presents the sitter within an oval, one hand projecting beyond the frame in trompe l'oeil fashion, in a very small, almost miniature image. Hals's brisk rendering has something of a commedia dell'arte character.