Description

An extremely wealthy linen and silk merchant in Haarlem, Tieleman Roosterman was 36 years old when Frans Hals painted his portrait. Unlike many Dutch painters of the period, Hals favored strong, visible brushstrokes that convey the vitality of his sitters. Roosterman strikes a confident pose, his costume sober but luxurious: his sleeves are decorated with braid and buttons, and ribbon rosettes encircle the waist of his doublet. The rich black of his suit is offset by the broad linen collar and lace-edged cuffs—fashionable details befitting a successful cloth merchant.

Provenance

Friedrich Jacob Gsell (b. 1811 or 1812 in Bischofweiler [Alsace], settled in Vienna circa 1850, died 1871) (probably by 1866); ([Georg Plach] Künstlerhause, Vienna, Friedrich Jacob Gsell sale, March 14, 1872 (and successive days), lot 40 ["Ein Bravourstück des genialen Meisters"; sold for 15,200 fl. to Plach, probably on behalf of Baron Anselm von Rothschild). (1872); Baron Anselm Mayer von Rothschild (1803-1874), Vienna (inv. no. AR866) (1872 - 1874); Baron Albert von Rothschild (1844-1911), Vienna (1874 - 1911); Baron Alphonse von Rothschild (1878-1942), Vienna (1911 - 1938); In the possession of the Nazis. Stored initially at Kremsmünster (?); intended for the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck, Austria (from 1938); While in the possession of the Nazis, moved from Kremsmünster to the salt mines at Alt Aussee, where it was stored until released to the Austrian government in May 1946. (c. 1944 - May 1946); Recovered by Alphonse von Rothschild's widow, Clarice von Rothschild (1894-1967), and "donated" by her for display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 9009) (1947 - 1999); Restituted to the Heirs of Barons Alphonse and Louis von Rothschild (1999); (Christie's, London, Heirs of the Barons Alphonse and Louis von Rothschild sale, July 8, 1999, no. 219, to the Cleveland Museum of Art.) (1999 -); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1999-)