What Is the Enigmatic Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals Hiding?
One of the most popular paintings in the Wallace Collection in London, “The Laughing Cavalier” by Frans Hals has a presence all its own, returning the viewer's gaze with an amused smile. I’ve always felt that the painting is misnamed. "The Laughing Cavalier" brings to mind the titles of old Hollywood swashbucklers, like “The Kissing Bandit” or “The Elusive Pimpernel”. And after all, the man on the portrait isn't actually laughing at all. The Laughing Cavalier. 1624. Frans Hals So, why has this portrait by Frans Hals become so popular and who is the inscrutably smirking young man portrayed? A Dandy from the Dutch Golden Age “The Laughing Cavalier” was painted by the Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals in 1624. The sitter’s name is unknown. His costume is lavish, displaying the flamboyance of the latest French styles in its fabulous embroidery, silks, and lace. He wears a doublet embroidered with symbols in colored and gold thread over a shirt adorned with in...