The Carousing Couple

Judith Leyster was a successful painter during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. She belonged to important Dutch artists’ guilds like the Saint Luke’s Guild in Haarlem, and her contemporaries praised her work. She was forgotten, however, for many years. Not her paintings; they were still around. Just her.

The reason for this is that her work was confused with that of Frans Hals. The two have similar styles, and Hals may have been one of her teachers. Because Hals was a celebrated Dutch master, this could be taken as a compliment. Some people had forged Hals’s signature over Leyster’s, however, probably hoping to sell her paintings for a higher price. She was literally written over in history.

This painting is the work that reintroduced her to art history. Someone sold it as a Frans Hals in the late-19th century, but the new owner found her distinctive signature (her initials and a star) underneath the fake Hals signature. The painting is a good example of Leyster’s style—genre scenes that are light, fun, and often comical. They feature jesters, children playing, musicians, and people laughing and having a good time, just like the couple in this painting.

- Alexandra Kiely

P.S. For information about other female artists forgotten by art history click here.