Malle Babbe
1930 - 1940
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
76; 60
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, dram...
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...