Dirck Hals

Dirck Hals, Merry Society, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, 1640

Dirck Hals (19 March 1591 – 17 May 1656), born at Haarlem, was a Dutch painter of festivals and ballroom scenes. He was influenced by his elder brother Frans Hals.

Biography

According to Houbraken he was the brother of the painter Frans Hals and was specialized in small paintings of "conversation pieces" or "merry companies" (Dutch: Gezelschapjes). The Haarlem writer Samuel Ampzing mentions both brothers in his Praise of Haarlem with a poem stating that both brothers were exceptional; Frans painting his portraits "awake", and Dirck painting his figures "purely".^[1]

According to the RKD he worked in Leiden in 1641 and 1648, and was an influence on the painters Nathaniel Bacon, Johann Hulsman, and Willem Cornelisz Duyster.^[2] He was buried in the Waalse Kerk (Haarlem).^[2]

References

1. ^ (Dutch) Dirck Hals Biography in De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen (1718) by Arnold Houbraken, courtesy of the Digital library for Dutch literature
2. ^ ^{a b} Dirck Hals in the RKD

• Dirck Hals on Artnet
• Works and literature on Dirck Hals

Persondata
Name	Hals, Dirck
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	19 March 1591
Place of birth
Date of death	17 May 1656
Place of death