Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz. Massa
| Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz Massa | |
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| Artist | Frans Hals |
| Year | 1626 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 79.7 cm × 65.0 cm (31.37 in × 25.62 in) |
| Location | Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto |
Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz. Massa is a 1626 painting by Frans Hals that is in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario. It depicts Isaac Massa, a prosperous merchant and a close friend of Hals. Massa was the subject of an earlier work by Hals – Isaak Abrahamsz Massa and Beatrix van der Lean – which also featured his wife. Massa would commission another portrait by Hals in 1635.
The painting is inscribed with the date 1626, but there is no mention of the identity of the sitter. For many years this led to debate, and it was often assumed to be a self-portrait. Wilhelm Valentiner was a noted proponent of this theory. Other scholars, such as Numa S. Trivas, did advance the idea that it was a portrait of Massa, and this was confirmed by the discovery of an inscription on a 17th-century engraving.
The 1626 portrait is noted for its informality and vitality. Massa appears leaning over the back of a chair, a significant departure from standard formal portrait poses of the period. Hals would later use similar poses in a number of other paintings, and it would also be employed by other artists in later centuries. Massa’s expression is candid, distracted. He is relaxed and engaged in his own affairs. Hals’s brush strokes too are quick and free instead of smooth and controlled, which not only contributes to Hals’s distinct style but also allowed him to complete an entire painting in one sitting, which accounts for the high volume he produced in his lifetime. Many of Hals’s contemporaries were students of Caravaggio, influenced by his strong chiaroscuro. Though Hals may also have looked to Caravaggio his use of light is even, but Hals still manages to create bold highlights of Massa’s facial features – the right side of his face is illuminated while the left falls into a natural shadow.
Massa had made his fortune as a silk merchant in Russia, and was a noted expert on the country. The view through the window of large coniferous trees may be intended to reflect this, it being a scene of Muscovy where much of Massa's trading was conducted. The landscape in the background may have not been painted by Hals, perhaps being the work of noted landscape artist Pieter de Molijn. In Massa's hand he holds a sprig of holly. In traditional symbolism this represents friendship and constancy, and may reflect the close relationship between the artist and subject. It has also been interpreted as Massa's pledge to be faithful to his wife during his long absences.
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