English
Merrymakers at Shrovetide
Shrovetide, now better known as Mardi Gras, is the traditional period of indulgence before the fasting and self-discipline of Lent. In the seventeenth-century Netherlands, it was also the occasion for theatrical performances by the painters’ guilds. Here, Hals depicts two stock figures from these plays, Hans Worst, with a sausage dangling from his cap, and Pekelharing, who sports a garland of salted fish and eggs. They flank a richly dressed girl (probably a boy in drag, as women were not permitted to perform on these occasions). Still-life elements litter the foreground, evoking both the traditional foods of the festival and an abundance of erotic innuendo.
Artwork Details
- Title: Merrymakers at Shrovetide
- Artist: Frans Hals (Dutch, Antwerp 1582/83–1666 Haarlem)
- Date: ca. 1616–17
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 51 3/4 x 39 1/4 in. (131.4 x 99.7 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
- Object Number: 14.40.605
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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