Dirck Hals (1591-1656) was a younger brother of Frans Hals, one of Holland’s leading artists. Dirck was born in Haarlem, where he lived his entire life. From 1627 until his death in 1656 he was a member of the city’s St Luke's guild. He collaborated with the architectural painter Dirck van Delen until 1634. One of Hals’s favourite themes was groups of people enjoying themselves either outdoors or in a typical Dutch interior. Much of his work contains symbolic references, so that his depiction of worldly pleasure was never entirely without a deeper meaning.
