- Laughing Cavalier
The "Laughing Cavalier" (
1624 ) is a famouspainting by the DutchBaroque artistFrans Hals . The current title is aVictorian era invention; the subject does, in fact, sport an enigmatic smile. The composition is lively and spontaneous, and despite the apparent labour involved in the gorgeous silk costume, close inspection reveals long, quick brush strokes.The portrait is inscribed in the top right "Æ'TA SVÆ 26/A°1624", which expands to "aetatis suae 26, anno 1624" in Latin and means that the portrait was painted when the sitter was 26 and in the year
1624 . The identity of the man is unknown; when the painting was acquired in1865 by Richard Wallace's father it was simply called "Portrait of a Young Man". The painting is in theWallace Collection inLondon, England .The canvas measures 83 × 67.3 cm (32.7 × 26.5 in).
The painting is famous because of the artist's skill at painting the lace of the costume and that the eyes appear to follow the viewer from every angle.
Trivia
The Laughing Cavalier is used by McEwans beer as its logo. It has been modified showing the Laughing Cavalier enjoying the beer [Appel, Julie and Amy Guglielmo: "Brush Mona Lisa's Hair", page 18. Sterling Publishing, 2006.]
References
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/portrait/story/0,11109,739719,00.html Guardian Arts Feature on the Laughing Cavalier] by Jonathan Jones, Saturday August 5, 2000. (Retrieved November 2005).
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