St. Mark, by Frans Hals

St. Matthew is a painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals, painted in 1625 and now in the collection of Colnaghi, London.

Painting

The painting shows St. Mark leaning on a pile of books with a lion at his elbow.^[1] This painting was documented in the 18th-century but was rediscovered in 1955, when it was identified by Claus Grimm as one of four lost paintings by Hals of the evangelists.^[2] At the time the painting had a collar painted over the beard and robe and was attributed to Luca Giordano.^[3]

In his 1989 catalog of the international Frans Hals exhibition, Seymour Slive included a photo of the before picture to show why the painting had been lost for so many years.^[4]

Before and after restoration:

• 
  Before
• 
  After

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:^[5]

• 
  St. Luke
• 
  St. Matthew
• 
  St. Mark
• 
  St. John

References