Portrait of Duijfje van Gerwen (1618-1658)

The Portrait of Duijfje van Gerwen (1618-1658), painted by Frans Hals in 1637, is a masterful example of Dutch Golden Age portraiture. Executed in oil paint on canvas, this work captures the subject, Duijfje van Gerwen, at the age of nineteen. She was the daughter of the Haarlem brewer Adriaen van Gerwen and was painted just before her marriage to Pieter Schout, placing the artwork firmly within the context of the burgeoning prosperity and domestic life of 17th-century Dutch society.

Hals employs his characteristic loose and energetic brushwork, immediately apparent in the swift, confident handling of the medium used to define the textures of her formal attire. The subject is dressed in the somber black clothing and complex white lace collar typical of the wealthy, respectable citizens of Haarlem during this period. Unlike the highly detailed finish favored by some of his contemporaries, Hals prioritizes the impression of immediacy and psychological presence, using minimal strokes to convey maximum effect. The composition focuses intimately on Duijfje, whose reserved, yet direct, expression speaks to her social standing.

This definitive piece of 17th-century art history is classified as a painting and resides in the permanent collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Due to the significance and historical age of the original canvas, high-quality prints derived from the piece are widely available in the public domain, allowing broader access to the genius of Hals. The survival of this work provides critical insight into both the portrait conventions of the era and the individual style of one of the Netherlands’ most celebrated painters.