Frans Hals Museum acquires unique painting by Maarten van Heemskerck from private collection

The Frans Hals Museum has managed to acquire one of the most unusual works produced by Maarten van Heemskerck (1498-1574) for its collection. The panel is now on permanent display at the museum in Haarlem where, along with other genre paintings, it shows how daily life became popular as a subject in Dutch art.

Early genre scene

The painting by Maarten van Heemskerck, from circa 1526/1527, is a particularly early work by the master painter. It was on show from September 2024 to January 2025 as part of the first survey exhibition of his work, hosted simultaneously by the Frans Hals Museum, Teylers Museum and Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar. The painting drew the attention of experts because of the unusual scene, which depicts ordinary people going about their daily business. It was also unusual in its day, as scenes of this kind – known as genre scenes – only became popular in Dutch art, including in Haarlem, in the 17th century. No other genre painting by Van Heemskerck is known to exist. He is famous mainly for his portraits and history paintings, most of them with Biblical subjects.

Lidewij de Koekkoek, director of the Frans Hals Museum, is proud that the painting has been added to the collection. ‘You see his talent and his steady hand, demonstrating the high standard of painting in 16th-century Haarlem’, she said. ‘The people in the image are very recognisable. You could meet them on the street.’

Mysterious scene

What exactly are we looking at? This is not entirely clear to the experts. We see a young man, an older woman and a younger woman against a neutral background, which reveals little about the context. Their body language differs markedly. The young man is smiling, showing his teeth, while the older woman, her hands clasped, has a dignified appearance. The young woman’s gesture, as she appears to reach out her hand to the older woman beside her, also raises questions. What exactly is her intention?

These uncertainties have prompted some art historians to suggest that the piece might originally have been larger. There may have been another figure on the right. Unfortunately, it is not easy to determine whether part of the panel has been removed on that side. Furthermore, Heemskerck would often abruptly truncate arms and hands.

Now on show

The painting is on show now at the Frans Hals Museum. It is displayed with the other works by Heemskerck in the museum’s collection, including the recently restored Saint Luke Painting the Madonna (1532), the EcceHomo triptych (1559-1560) and the side panels of the Drapers’ Altarpiece (1547). The museum also has genre paintings by later Haarlem artists on display, including Adriaen van Ostade and Jan Miense Molenaer. With this recently acquired early work by Heemskerck, the Frans Hals Museum is now able to show how artists in Haarlem discovered daily life as a subject for their work, and how the genre subsequently flourished there.

Support

The genre painting by Maarten van Heemskerck has been acquired with the support of the Rembrandt Association (thanks in part to its Fund for Classical Art, its Theodora Fund and an extra donation from Het Cultuurfonds), the Mondrian Fund, the Frans Hals Museum Friends association and the De Man Fund.