Portrait of a Woman Standing

"Portrait of a Woman Standing" is a captivating painting by the renowned Dutch Golden Age artist Frans Hals, created between 1610 and 1615. Currently displayed at Chatsworth House, this artwork is believed to be a pendant portrait, though the identity of the woman remains a mystery, leaving the exact pendant status uncertain.

In 1910, art historian Hofstede de Groot documented the painting, describing the woman as facing three-quarters to the left. She is adorned with a gold chain, a lace-trimmed cap, a black silk dress, a ruff, and lace wristbands. To her left, there is a coat of arms with an inscription that reads "aeta suae 37" indicating her age. This painting has been part of various exhibitions and belongs to the Duke of Devonshire's collection in London.

In 1974, art historian Seymour Slive identified this painting as the companion piece to "A Man Holding a Skull." He suggested that the woman might have been 31 years old at the time of her marriage, challenging the earlier assumption that she was 37. Slive also proposed that this painting could be from Hals' early period, although there wasn't enough evidence to date it definitively before 1610. Claus Grimm, in 1989, supported the idea that it is a pendant to "Man Holding a Skull" and speculated that it was painted before 1620.

Despite the uncertainties regarding its pendant status and the exact age of the woman depicted, "Portrait of a Woman Standing" by Frans Hals remains an intriguing and significant work of art.