The Laughing Cavalier

Frans Hals

Painted

1624

Collection

The Wallace Collection, London

A twenty-six-year-old with his arm on his hip looks down at us with the tips of his moustache turned up in a smile. The arrows, bees and lovers' knots embroidered on his sleeve are symbols of love, so it is thought to be a betrothal portrait. The nickname stuck though he smiles rather than laughs, and Hals's lively brushwork suits the confident expression.

Object record (Wikimedia Commons) · Public domain

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