Beschreibung:

DescriptionProperty of the Descendants of Prof. Dr. Cornelis Hofstede de Groot
Circle of Frans HalsLaughing fisherboy
oil on panel, with a red wax seal bearing the Sas coat of arms on the reverseunframed: 37.7 x 33.2 cm.; 14¾ x 13 in.framed: 54.8 x 50.3 cm.; 21½ x 19¾ in. Condition reportThe panel is uncradled, flat and stable, and the right-hand side of the panel has been strengthened in the past. The paint surface is relatively clean and the varnish only slightly discoloured. The paint surface appears worn and has thinned throughout the composition, notably in the sitters hat, right side of his face and in the blue of his dress. There are visible retouchings in the sitters hat and along a vertical repaired split running the full length of the panel centre left. Inspection under ultraviolet light confirms the above and further reveals scattered retouchings above the sitters proper right shoulder and scattered in his dress. The painting is in fairly good condition.
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.ProvenanceWilhelm Trübner (1851–1917), Berlin;
His postumous sale, Berlin, Lepke, 5 June 1918, lot 278, (as Frans Hals?);
Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (1863–1930), The Hague, by 1921;
Thence by inheritance to his sister;
Thence by descent to the current owner.LiteratureW.R. Valentiner, Frans Hals  Berlin 1923, p. 113 (as Frans Hals ;
W.R. Valentiner, 'Rediscovered Paintings by Frans Hals', in Art in America, vol. XVI, 1928, p. 238 (as Frans Hals ;
C. Grim and E.C. Montagni, L'opera completa di Frans Hals Milan 1974, p. 118, no. 324b, reproduced p. 117 (under doubtful works);
S. Slive, Frans Hals London 1974, vol. III, p. 119, listed under no. L5, variant 1 (as a copy after Frans Hals ;
F. Dony and K. Braun, Alle tot nu toe bekende schilderijen van Frans Hals Rotterdam 1976, p. 130, no. 324b, reproduced p. 131 (as a copy after Frans Hals .ExhibitedGroningen, Groninger Museum, on loan from December 2013 to 2019 (as attributed to Judith Leyster .Catalogue noteThis is a variant after a presumed lost painting by Frans Hals of a laughing fisherboy dating to the late 1620s of which a mezzotint by Johannes de Groot survives.1 There are two other recorded versions, both closer in format and composition to the original print, one offered at Sotheby’s, New York, 28 January 2005, lot 540, and the other offered at Christie’s, London, 30 April 1954, lot 146.
We are grateful to Claus Grimm, who will include the present painting in his forthcoming revised and expanded catalogue raisonné of Frans Hals' œuvre, as a workshop painting or a contemporary copy, no. A4.2-29a.
Note on Provenance
This painting is recorded as having once been in the collections of two notable owners. It first belonged to the German realist painter Wilhelm Trübner (1851–1917), who formed part of the core group of artists known as The Leibl Circle. His posthumous sale included works by Tiepolo, Van Dyck and Cranach the Elder. This panel was then acquired by the eminent art historian and collector Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (1863–1930). Throughout his career he amassed an extensive art collection of seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish art, which famously included 65 Rembrandt drawings, which he donated to the print room of the Rijksmuseum in 1906. His personal archives, posthumously donated to the State of the Netherlands, form the basis for what is known today as the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History), founded in 1932, the most important centre for the study of Dutch art. Upon his death, a large part of his collection was donated to the Groninger Museum, where it still remains today.
1 https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1874-0613-792