In the sixth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' double portrait of 'Catherina Hooft and Her Nurse', which is in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie, in Berlin; which is has been part of, since 1874. The painting was secured on behalf of the museum by Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929), and the painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars, universally. Slive numbered the work number 14, in his 1974 catalogue; Grimm catalogued it as number 5, in his 1989 catalogue. The painting features a woman and a child—a nurse and a baby—who is Catherine Hooft, who lived from 1618 to 1691; who was born into the wealthy and powerful regent classes of Amsterdam; and who was related to many of the power players of the day. She was the second wife of the once Mayor of Amsterdam, Cornelis de Graeff (1599-1664). Much of what is known about the painting today is due to the work of Dutch art historian, and archivist, Bas Dudok van Heel (1938-), who is responsible for reconstructing the painting's provenance. The painting is hardly ever on exhibition, outside of Berlin, and was last included in a Hals exhibition, in 1989.

To learn more about the De Graeff family, visit the website of the archives of the city of Amsterdam.

You can find John on X @johnbezold and at his website ⁠⁠⁠johnbezold.com⁠⁠⁠.

'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast' is published by Semicolon-Press.