This painting by Franz Hals in 1650 is titled Old Hille Bobbe, as well as Malle Babbe and The Witch of Haarlem.
Franz Hals (c. 1582–1666) was born in southern Netherlands—what is today Belgium. A Dutch Golden Age painter, Hals is credited as a revolutionary in the field of portraiture. He was particularly know for the way he captured light and atmosphere. This painting by Halls in 1650 is titled Old Hille Bobbe, as well as Malle Babbe and The Witch of Haarlem (a city in the Netherlands). It shows an old, wrinkled dame that in seaport towns was called "a sailor's mother." She was a "merry toper," like many of Hals' companions, and went from tavern to tavern to get a drink. Her real name was Alle, or Alice Boll. The owl is probably the painter's skit of th screeching old hussy. The painting is quite remarkable for its poverty of color.
Size: 3784px × 4800px
Photo credit: © Ivy Close Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 17th, age, art, babbe, belgium, bobbe, century, dutch, frans, franz, golden, haarlem, hals, hille, lady, malle, painter, painting, pitcher, portraits, witch
