The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam pays homage to the master portrait painter from Haarlem. He was king of well-watered banquets and servant of the trading guilds of the Golden Age.
His society of bon vivants, ruddy cheeks, bright eyes and smiles that sometimes amount to laughter, is a pleasure to see. Hals was born in Antwerp, but who lived and worked in Haarlem. The city was from the beginning a city of shipowners, textile manufacturers and long-distance traders.