Portrait of Aletta Hanemans

Aletta’s wedding ring and bridal gloves underscore the connubial theme of this portrait, a pendant to that of her husband Jacob. Her silk garments, trimmed with expensive lace and gold brocade, were, like those of her husband, inspired by Spanish fashions. Such meticulous detail is typical of Hals’s early work. A comparison with the Frick Collection's later portraits by Hals demonstrates the artist’s evolving technique from the refined approach seen here to a looser painting style.