Wybrand de Geest: Portrait of a boy (1631)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

A nice painting by the Dutch artist Wybrand de Geest (1592-1661). The identity of this boy is not known but as Wybrand de Geest came and worked in the Dutch province of Friesland, this boy propably also comes from that region. Nice detail is the Club and ball the boy is holding: this is a kolf club. Kolven is a Dutch game in which the players must hit a target (a pole or tree) with their ball. Kolven was 1 of the most populair sports in the Netherlands in the Middle ages so it can be seen in a lot of paintings from that period. Painting from 1631.