Focus on this artwork and explore the The Four Evangelists of Frans Hals.
Initially, the picture was part of a series of paintings of the four Evangelists: Luke, Matthew, Mark and John. The art historians Seymour Slive and Klaus Grimm agree the series dates to the mid-1620s.Nothing is known about the commissioner of the paintings and the circumstances of their creation. Perhaps the paintings were made for the Catholic or Lutheran church, although the small size and intimate nature of the painting suggests that they were made for a small private chapel, or perhaps for the hidden Catholic church (schuilkerk) in Haarlem, or even for a private house. Catholic services were allowed in Haarlem in April 1581, but home chapels were before. It is also possible that the customer was a Protestant, or the artist painted them for himself, as Hendrick ter Brugghen did with a similar cycle, or Rembrandt with the apostles. Klaus Grimm and Seymour Slive agree that the order was most likely private, rather than secular. Until the 18th century, the canvases were in Holland.The four evangelists by Hals were documented in 1910 by Hofstede de Groot, who wrote "The Four Evangelists. - Four separate pictures, each of them a half-length, showing the hands and attributes of the saint. Canvas, each 27 1/2 inches by 22 inches. Sales. - Gerard Hoet, The Hague, August 25, 1760 (Terw. 231), No. 134 (120 florins, Yver). The Hague, April 13, 1771, Z. No. 35. F.W. Baron van Borck, Amsterdam, May 1, 1771, No. 34 (33 florins, Yver)." At the time he was writing, these paintings were considered lost:
schuilkerk Haarlem Hofstede de Groot Seymour Slive Klaus Grimm Hals Rembrandt Hendrick ter Brugghen Frans Hals