Willem Coymans

1645

Frans Hals

Artist, Dutch, c. 1582/1583 - 1666

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.”

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The crest bearing three cows’ heads, visible on the wall behind the sitter, indicates that this young man is a member of the prosperous Coymans family of Haarlem. The cows’ heads refer directly to the Dutch family name, which translates as "cow man." Archival and genealogical information, combined with the Latin inscription "AETA SVAE.22 / 1645" below the shield, identifies the sitter as Willem Coymans, who was twenty-two years old in 1645. The few paintings dated by Frans Hals tend to also provide the subjects’ ages, thus serving as genealogies. In addition to this likeness of Willem, Hals painted the portraits of at least four other members of the Coymans family.

Hals was the preeminent portrait painter in Haarlem, the most important artistic center of Holland in the early part of the seventeenth century. He was famous for his uncanny ability to portray his subjects with relatively few bold brushstrokes, and often used informal poses to enliven his portraits. Here, Willem Coymans is informally seated in a chair, with one arm hooked casually over its back to enhance the lifelike quality of his portrait. Coymans, resplendent in his elegant clothes, sports a brocaded jacket with slit sleeves over a pleated white shirt. The dazzling brushwork so typical of Hals is especially evident in the gold embroidery and the crispness of the sleeve. The pom-pom on his hat, pushed forward at a rakish angle, and the oversized collar of his shirt mark Willem as a dandy.

On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 46

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Andrew W. Mellon Collection

  • 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.)

  • Accession

    1937.1.69

More About this Artwork

Scholarly Article:  Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century: Willem Coymans, 1645

This horizontal painting shows a group of eight light-skinned musicians and onlookers gathered closely around a rectangular, carpet-covered table. The front edge of the table runs parallel to the bottom edge of the painting, and seems close to us. Shown from about the waist up, the men and women’s vivid lapis-blue, coral-red, buttercup-yellow, lilac-purple, and moss-green garments fall in crisp folds. Bright reflections on the fabric suggest a satin-like material. Two women wear feathers in their hair and one man’s hat is plumed. One man, wearing crimson red and black, sits with his back to us to our left on the near side of the table. He holds the neck of a bass viol, about the size of a cello, with his left hand, and points to pages of an open music book with the bow in his right hand. The other people cluster on the far side of the table. A man to the left plays a violin; a woman at the center plays a guitar-sized bandora, and a woman to our right plays a lute. The musicians, along with a man who leans over the table from between the two women, look down at the music books. A young man behind the woman at the center holds up a glass of pale liquid with his right hand as he touches his left forefinger to his smiling lips. A man and woman stand close together in the background to our right, in the top right corner of the canvas.

Scholarly Series:  Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Coymans family, Haarlem. Mrs. Frederick Wollaston, London. (Sedelmeyer Gallery, Paris), before 1894; Rodolphe Kann [d. 1905], Paris, by 1897; purchased 1907 with the entire Kann collection by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); sold to Arabella D. [Mrs. Collis P.] Huntington [c. 1850-1924], New York; by inheritance to her son, Archer M. Huntington [1870-1955], New York; purchased 17 May 1928 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc.);[1] sold 7 May 1929 to Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; deeded 28 December 1934 to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh; gift 1937 to NGA.
[1] Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles: reel 322, box 467, folder 2 (copies in NGA curatorial files).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1909

  • The Hudson-Fulton Celebration, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1909, no. 37, as Balthasar Coymans.[1]

1928

  • 1928 International Exhibition of Antiques and Art, Olympia, London, 1928, no. X22, as Portrait of Young Koeymanszoon van Ablasserdam.

1939

  • Masterworks of Five Centuries, The Golden-Gate International Exposition, San Francisco, 1939, no. 80a, repro., as Portrait of Balthasar Coymans, Alderman of Haarlem.

1989

  • Frans Hals, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Royal Academy of Arts, London; Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem, 1989-1990, no. 61, repro.

2000

  • Like Father, Like Son? Portraits by Frans Hals and Jan Hals, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, 2000, pl. 1.

2003

  • Loan for display with permanent collection, The National Gallery, London, 2003-2004.

2007

  • Dutch Portraits: The Age of Rembrandt and Frans Hals, The National Gallery, London; Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, 2007-2008, no. 24, repro.

2021

  • Frans Hals: the Male Portraits, Wallace Collection, London, 2021 - 2022, no. 10, repro.

Bibliography

1897

  • Moes, Ernst Wilhelm. Iconographia Batava. 2 vols. Amsterdam, 1897-1905: 1(1897):205, no. 1779, as Balthasar Coymans.

1898

  • Sedelmeyer, Charles. Illustrated Catalogue of 300 Paintings by Old Masters of the Dutch, Flemish, Italian, French, and English schools, being some of the principal pictures which have at various time formed part of the Sedelmeyer Gallery. Paris, 1898: 66, no. 54, repro., as Koeymanszoon van Ablasserdam.

1900

  • Bode, Wilhelm von. Gemälde-sammlung des Herrn Rudolf Kann in Paris. Vienna, 1900: xviii, pl. 49, as Koeymanszoon van Ablasserdam.

1907

  • Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century. 8 vols. Translated by Edward G. Hawke. London, 1907-1927: 3(1910):53, no. 168.

  • Sedelmeyer, Charles. Catalogue of Rodolphe Kann Collection. 2 vols. Paris, 1907: 1:13, 42, no. 40, repro., as Portrait of Young Koeijmanszoon van Ablasserdam.

1908

  • Grant, J. Kirby. "Mrs. Collis P. Huntington’s Collection." The Connoisseur 20 (January 1908): 3 fig. 1, 4, as Young Koeijmanszoon van Ablasserdam.

  • Holmes, Charles John. "Recent Acquisitions by Mrs. C. P. Huntington from the Kann Collection." The Burlington Magazine 12 (January 1908 ): 195-205, repro., as Young Koeijmanszoon of Ablasserdam.

  • Lennep, John C. van. "Portraits in the Kann Collection." The Burlington Magazine 13, no. 65 (August 1908): 293-294.

1909

  • "A Portrait by Hals at the Grafton Galleries." The Burlington Magazine 16 (October 1909): 109-110, as Johan Koeijmans.

  • Moes, Ernst Wilhelm. Frans Hals: sa vie et son oeuvre. Translated by J. de Bosschere. Brussels, 1909: 101, no. 27.

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Catalogue of a collection of paintings by Dutch masters of the seventeenth century. The Hudson-Fulton Celebration 1. Exh. cat. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1909: xv, 38, no. 37, repro., 154, 159, as Balthasar Coymans, Alderman of Haarlem.

1910

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. "Die Ausstellung holländischer Gemälde in New York." Monatshefte für Kunstwissenschaft 3 (1910): 6, 7 n. 5, as "not Joseph Coymans."

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Paintings by Old Dutch Masters Held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Connection with the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. New York, 1910: 6, 145, no. 37, repro. 144., as Balthasar Coymans, Alderman of Haarlem.

1914

  • Bode, Wilhelm von, and Moritz Julius Binder. Frans Hals: Sein Leben und seine Werke. 2 vols. Berlin, 1914: 2:65, no. 245, pl. 155a.

  • Bode, Wilhelm von, and Moritz Julius Binder. Frans Hals: His Life and Work. 2 vols. Translated by Maurice W. Brockwell. Berlin, 1914: 2:19, no. 245, pl. 155a.

1921

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Frans Hals: des meisters Gemälde in 318 Abbildungen. Klassiker der Kunst in Gesamtausgaben 28. Stuttgart and Berlin, 1921: 319, no. 212, repro.

1923

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Frans Hals: des Meisters Gemälde in 322 Abbildungen. Klassiker der Kunst in Gesamtausgaben 28. 2nd ed. Stuttgart, Berlin, and Leipzig, 1923: 320, no. 225, repro.

1930

  • Dülberg, Franz. Frans Hals: Ein Leben und ein Werk. Stuttgart, 1930: 178-180, repro.

1936

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Frans Hals Paintings in America. Westport, Connecticut, 1936: no. 82, repro.

1937

  • Cortissoz, Royal. An Introduction to the Mellon Collection. Boston, 1937: 40.

1939

  • Golden Gate International Exposition. Masterworks of Five Centuries. Exh. cat. Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco, 1939: no. 80a, repro., as Portrait of Balthasar Coymans, Alderman of Haarlem.

1941

  • Duveen Brothers. Duveen Pictures in Public Collections of America. New York, 1941: no. 194, repro., as Portrait of Balthasar Coymans.

  • Preliminary Catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1941: 95, no. 69, as Balthasar Coymans.

1942

  • National Gallery of Art. Book of illustrations. 2nd ed. Washington, 1942: 69, repro. 24, 240, as Balthasar Coymans.

1944

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds. Masterpieces of Painting from the National Gallery of Art. Translated. New York, 1944: 96, color repro., as Balthasar Coyman_.

1949

  • National Gallery of Art. Paintings and Sculpture from the Mellon Collection. Washington, 1949 (reprinted 1953 and 1958): 77, repro., as Balthasar Coymans.

1956

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1956: 44, repro.. as Balthasar Coymans.

1958

  • Slive, Seymour. "Frans Hals’ Portrait of Joseph Coymans." Wadsworth Atheneum Bulletin 4 (Winter 1958): 13-23, fig. 10.

1960

  • The National Gallery of Art and Its Collections. Foreword by Perry B. Cott and notes by Otto Stelzer. National Gallery of Art, Washington (undated, 1960s): 20, as Balthasar Coymans.

1963

  • Beeren, Willem. Frans Hals. New York, 1963: 89, no. 49, repro.

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 178, repro.

1965

  • National Gallery of Art. Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. Washington, 1965: 65, as Balthasar Coymans.

1966

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds. A Pageant of Painting from the National Gallery of Art. 2 vols. New York, 1966: 1: 216, color repro., as Balthasar Coymans.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 57, repro., as Balthasar Coymans.

1969

  • Taylor, Katrina V. H. "A note on the identity of a member of the Coymans family by Frans Hals." Report and Studies in the History of Art 3 (1969): 106-108, fig. 1.

1970

  • Slive, Seymour. Frans Hals. 3 vols. National Gallery of Art Kress Foundation Studies in the History of European Art. London, 1970–1974: 1(1970):160, 185; 2(1970):pls. 253, 255; 3(1974):85-86, no. 166.

1972

  • Grimm, Claus. Frans Hals: Entwicklung, Werkanalyse, Gesamtkatolog. Berlin, 1972: 17, no. 130, figs. 145, 148.

1974

  • Montagni, E.C. L’opera completa di Frans Hals. Classici dell’Arte. Milan, 1974: 104, no. 167, repro., color repro. 51, and cover.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 170, repro., as Balthasar Coymans.

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1975: 266-267, no. 349, repro.

1976

  • Montagni, E.C. Tout l'oeuvre peint de Frans Hals. Translated by Simone Darses. Les classiques de l'art. Paris, 1976: no. 167, repro.

1978

  • Haverkamp-Begemann, Egbert, ed. The Netherlands and the German-speaking countries, fifteenth-nineteenth centuries. Wadsworth Atheneum paintings catalogue 1. Hartford, 1978: 148.

1981

  • Baard, H. P. Frans Hals. New York, 1981: fig. 66.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 266, no. 343, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 196, repro.

  • Pelfrey, Robert H., and Mary Hall-Pelfrey. Art and Mass Media. New York, 1985: 98, repro.

1986

  • Sutton, Peter C. A Guide to Dutch Art in America. Grand Rapids and Kampen, 1986: 308, fig. 460.

1989

  • Slive, Seymour. Frans Hals. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington; Royal Academy of Arts, London; Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem. London, 1989: no. 61.

1990

  • Grimm, Claus. Frans Hals: The Complete Work. Translated by Jürgen Riehle. New York, 1990: 95, color fig. 15a, 186, color fig. 66, 193-194, 288, no. 127, repro.

1995

  • Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, 1995: 76-79, color repro. 77.

1996

  • Tansey, Richard G. and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. 10th ed. Fort Worth, 1996: 855, color fig. 24.45.

2000

  • Weller, Dennis P. Like Father, Like Son? Portraits by Frans Hals and Jan Hals. Exh. cat. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, 2000: pl. 1.

2002

  • Beyer, Andreas. Das Porträt in der Malerei. Munich, 2002: 199-200, repro.

  • Dehne, Bernd, Helmuth Kern, and Erika Kern. Mensch, Kunst!. Basisreihe Kunst 4. Leipzig, 2002: 118, repro.

2003

  • Atkins, Christopher. "Frans Hals's Virtuoso Brushwork." Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek (2003): 296, repro.

2004

  • Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 188, no. 148, color repro.

2005

  • Duffy-Zeballos, Lisa. "Frans Hals' Willem Coymans." Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery 7, no. 2 (March/April 2005): 152-153, color repro.

2007

  • Ekkart, Rudolf E.O., and Quentin Buvelot. Dutch portraits: the age of Rembrandt and Frans Hals. Translated by Beverly Jackson. Exh. cat. National Gallery, London; Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague. London, 2007: 130-131, no. 24, repro.

2008

  • Buvelot, Quentin. "El retrato holandés." Numen 2 (2008): 11-12, repro.

2012

  • Atkins, Christopher D.M. The Signature Style of Frans Hals: Painting, Subjectivity, and the Market in Early Modernity. Amsterdam, 2012: 105-106, 292, color fig. 71.

2013

  • Bennett, Shelly M. _ The Art of Weath: The Huntingtons in the Gilded Age_. San Marino, 2013: 156, 161-161, 163, 177, 267-268, 270, color fig. 3.24.

Inscriptions

center right: AETA SVAE.22 (second 2 has been changed to a 6) / 1645 [1]
[1] The second numeral of the sitter’s age has been changed to a six. Above the inscription is the sitter’s coat of arms, consisting of three black cows’ heads on a gold field.

Wikidata ID

Q18010001

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