Young Man and Woman in an Inn

A young man and woman share a moment in an inn. The man gestures with a pipe; the woman holds a lute. Frans Hals painted this scene in 1623. Oil on canvas, 105.4 x 79.4 cm.

Hals applied the paint with a visible bravura. The brushstrokes are loose and expressive. This approach contrasts with the precise detail favored by some of his contemporaries.

This work entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of Benjamin Altman’s bequest in 1913. It remains in the European Paintings department.

Frans Hals was born in c. 1582 but moved to Haarlem as a child. He excelled in a painterly style of portraiture and was sought after by Haarlem’s wealthy citizens.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436616