A Militiaman Holding a Berkemeyer, Known as the ‘Merry Drinker’

A Militiaman Holding a Berkemeyer, Known as the ‘Merry Drinker’ (c. 1629) by Frans Hals. Its palette is led by umber (#6f5e3a, 43%) and dark taupe (#473d26, 20%), with accents of pale sand. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color reading

Brown covers about four-fifths of the canvas. Its most vivid color, golden umber #8B7241, takes up 16% of it.

Palette

#6f5e3a MG 184 umber 42.9% of canvas
#473d26 MG 177 dark taupe 19.6% of canvas
#8b7241 MG 183 golden umber 16.1% of canvas
#21221c MG 222 charcoal 15.1% of canvas
#c4b58c MG 180 pale sand 6.3% of canvas

Color families

Brown 79%, Black 14%, Yellow 7%, Orange 1%, Gray 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.46
Contrast: 0.46
Vividness: 0.048
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 109 cells
Hue range: 0.28
Focus: 0.07

Composition

50% of the visual weight is in the left half, 51% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.75 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 48% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 26% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1629
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 81.0 × 66.5 cm
Genre: genre art
Made in: Netherlands
Collection: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

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More by Frans Hals

Laughing Cavalier, 1624
Gipsy Girl, 1626