New Research Redates Frans Hals' Malle Babbe Painting and Explores Its Social Context
Recent scholarship has revised the dating of Frans Hals' painting Malle Babbe to between 1640 and 1646, later than previously thought. The work depicts Barbara Claes, a Haarlem woman known as 'mad Babbe,' shown with a tankard and an owl symbolizing drunkenness. Hals, an established Haarlem painter, portrayed her with a spontaneous grin, a technique he often used for lower-status sitters. Claes was later confined to a Haarlem workhouse, and the painting challenges Calvinist norms of its era. The original resides at Berlin's Gemäldegalerie, with copies and related works at institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Rijksmuseum.
Key facts
- Frans Hals' painting Malle Babbe is now dated 1640-1646, updated from earlier estimates.
- The subject is Barbara Claes, a Haarlem woman labeled 'mad' and later placed in a workhouse.
- An owl on her shoulder references a Dutch proverb about drunkenness, contrasting with wisdom symbolism.
- Hals used lively brushwork and grinning expressions, typically for sitters of lower social rank.
- Copies exist by Gustave Courbet, Han van Meegeren, and a version attributed to Hals' workshop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Entities
Artists
- Frans Hals
- Gustave Courbet
- Han van Meegeren
- Kees Verkade
Institutions
- Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Rijksmuseum
- Hamburger Kunsthalle
Locations
- Haarlem
- Berlin
- New York City
- Amsterdam
- Hamburg