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Shown from the waist up, a light-skinned man sits sideways in a wooden chair so the arm closer to us rests along the chair’s back in this vertical portrait painting. Brushstrokes are visible throughout, especially in the clothing and hair. The man’s right arm, to our left, drapes across the back of the chair. His face turns slightly to our right, and he looks at us with gray eyes under black, curving brows. He has an oval face with high cheekbones and a snub nose. His coral-pink lips are closed and framed by a mustache and pointed patch of hair under his lower lip. He is lit from our left so the far side of his face is in shadow. His loose, curly brown hair cascades over his shoulders. He wears a tall black hat with a stiff, wide brim with a black rosette or pompom on the brim to our right side. The hat is tipped slightly to one side so it angles away from us. A flat, stiff, white collar extends from his chin down to his shoulders, and two tassels hang at this throat. The voluminous sleeve along the back of the chair has a gold pattern picked out in loosely painted, swirling, feathered, and flaring lines against a black background. The jacket is unbuttoned along the forearm to reveal a stark white undershirt that is gathered with a narrow ruffle at the wrist. The chair has a crimson-red center framed by wooden rails to each side and along the top. The background is earth brown to our right of the man, and deepens to dark shadows along the left. A coat of arms, the size of the man’s palm, hangs from the back wall. Three black cow heads create an inverted triangle on a gold field. Under the coat of arms the artist inscribed, “AETA SVAE.22 1645.”

Willem Coymans

Frans Hals

Shown from the waist up, a light-skinned man sits sideways in a wooden chair so the arm closer to us rests along the chair’s back in this vertical portrait painting. Brushstrokes are visible throughout, especially in the clothing and hair. The man’s right arm, to our left, drapes across the back of the chair. His face turns slightly to our right, and he looks at us with gray eyes under black, curving brows. He has an oval face with high cheekbones and a snub nose. His coral-pink lips are closed and framed by a mustache and pointed patch of hair under his lower lip. He is lit from our left so the far side of his face is in shadow. His loose, curly brown hair cascades over his shoulders. He wears a tall black hat with a stiff, wide brim with a black rosette or pompom on the brim to our right side. The hat is tipped slightly to one side so it angles away from us. A flat, stiff, white collar extends from his chin down to his shoulders, and two tassels hang at this throat. The voluminous sleeve along the back of the chair has a gold pattern picked out in loosely painted, swirling, feathered, and flaring lines against a black background. The jacket is unbuttoned along the forearm to reveal a stark white undershirt that is gathered with a narrow ruffle at the wrist. The chair has a crimson-red center framed by wooden rails to each side and along the top. The background is earth brown to our right of the man, and deepens to dark shadows along the left. A coat of arms, the size of the man’s palm, hangs from the back wall. Three black cow heads create an inverted triangle on a gold field. Under the coat of arms the artist inscribed, “AETA SVAE.22 1645.”

Details
Palette

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Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 77 × 64 cm (30 5/16 × 25 3/16 in.) framed: 102.24 × 89.85 × 7.62 cm (40 1/4 × 35 3/8 × 3 in.)
Department
CNE-B
Holding institution
National Gallery of Art
Image provider
national-gallery-of-art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Collection

Art Genome Taxonomy

9 tags

Subject Matter

  • Individual Portrait Both · 99%

    The image depicts one named sitter in a half-length format, and the catalog identifies the work as Willem Coymans.

  • Eye Contact Both · 98%

    The sitter looks directly toward the viewer, as described in the catalog and clearly visible in the image.

  • Text Both · 99%

    A visible inscription reading “AETA SVAE.22 1645” appears beneath the coat of arms, matching the catalog description.

Visual Qualities

  • Dark Colors Visual · 94%

    Black, deep brown, olive, and muted red dominate the palette, with brighter white areas concentrated in the collar and cuffs.

Medium and Techniques

  • Oil Painting Metadata · 100%

    The National Gallery of Art specifies the medium as oil on canvas.

  • Chiaroscuro Visual · 94%

    The face and clothing are modeled through pronounced contrasts between illumination and deep surrounding shadow.

  • Large Brushstrokes/Loose Brushwork Both · 97%

    Visible, assertive brushstrokes are especially apparent in the hair, patterned sleeve, collar, and cuffs; the catalog also specifically notes visible brushwork.

Time Periods

Furniture and Lighting

  • Chair Both · 95%

    The sitter is visibly seated sideways in a wooden chair with a red central panel, and the catalog identifies the chair as part of the composition.

Source & rights

Frans Hals. Willem Coymans. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Catalog record ↗ Image source ↗ Image license ↗ Image-use terms ↗ Catalog metadata terms ↗

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