The Jolly Toper is a 1629 oil painting by the Dutch artist Judith Leyster in the collection of the Rijksmuseum that is on long-term loan to the Frans Hals Museum since 1959.[1] It was acquired by the museum as a painting by Frans Hals and was attributed to Leyster by the researcher Juliane Harms in 1927.

The Jolly Toper
ArtistJudith Leyster
Year1629
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions89 cm × 85 cm (35 in × 33 in)
LocationFrans Hals Museum, Haarlem

Provenance

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The painting was sold in Hotel Drouot in Paris in 1890 as by Hals or a son to Schiff and was bought by the Rijksmuseum in 1897 from F. Kleinberger of Paris.[1] The painting is signed and dated on the back wall above the tankard.

According to Hofrichter, the scene shows the popular Peeckelhaeringh figure in 17th-century comic plays.[1] The Peeckelhaeringh or Pekelharing character is often shown as a "Kannenkijker", or jug-looker. This is a signal that the mug is empty and the show is over. The figure in this painting bears a resemblance to another, similar painting, also by Leyster, but less finished.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Judith Leyster: A Woman Painter in Holland's Golden Age, by Frima Fox Hofrichter, Doornspijk, 1989, Davaco Publishers, ISBN 90-70288-62-1, catalog #5