A Dutch Lady 1643

Frans Hals painted this portrait of a Dutch Lady, sometime in the first half of the 17th century. The sitter's direct gaze and confident pose point to her elevated social standing in the Dutch Republic at the time. During this period, the Dutch Republic saw the rise of a wealthy merchant class that began to commission portraits such as this to reflect their economic and political power. The clothing of the sitter and the fine lace reflect her elevated position within the social order. The fact that this painting was commissioned reflects how artistic patronage was shifting away from the church and aristocracy, towards a new social class. To understand the work better, we can look at how Dutch society was changing at the time, and what role paintings like this played in that shift. We can analyze the economic structures of the Dutch Golden Age to examine the values of the people who commissioned portraits such as this.