Malle Babbe

About this artwork

Malle Babbe. Een lachende oude vrouw brengt een kan naar de mond. Geschilderd in de trant van Frans Hals.

Art Historical Context

**Malle Babbe** by Han van Meegeren a spirited oil on canvas painting from around 1930–1940, measuring 76 × 60 cm. Now housed in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, depicts a laughing old woman—known as Malle Bab—joyfully raising a jug to her lips. Her wide grin and animated pose capture a moment of exuberant revelry, evoking the vitality of everyday life. Van Meegeren crafted this work *in the trant* (or manner) of Frans Hals, the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age master celebrated for his loose, fluid brushwork and lively portraits of tavern-goers and common folk. Hals's signature style—bold strokes, dramatic lighting, and infectious energy—comes alive here, blending realism with a sense of spontaneous motion that defined Haarlem's artistic scene during the Dutch Republic's prosperous era. This piece showcases van Meegeren's adeptness at channeling historical techniques, offering visitors a bridge to Hals's world of hearty merriment and human warmth. Its presence in the Rijksmuseum invites reflection on how 20th-century artists honored—and reinterpreted—their forebears.

About the Artist

Han van Meegeren

Han van Meegeren (1889–1947) occupies a unique and controversial position in art history—not as a celebrated master, but as one of the twentieth century's most ingenious and successful art forgers. Born Henricus Antonius van Meegeren on October 10, 1889, in Deventer, Netherlands, he would eventually dupe the art world's most distinguished experts, sell fake 'Vermeers' for millions, and paradoxical...