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The Rommel-Pot Player

A work made of oil on panel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on panel.

Date:

c. 1630

Artist:

Workshop of Frans Hals (Dutch, 1582–1666)

About this artwork

Joy alights on the faces of a crowd of children staring spellbound up at a rommel-pot player. A rommel pot is a musical instrument made out of an earthenware jar with a stick inserted through an animal skin covering. The player rotates and rubs the stick to produce a droning noise akin to a duck call. It was often played during Shrovetide, the festive period before the start of Lent, also known as Carnival. This street performer wears a foxtail hat, a traditional attribute of a fool, highlighting the silliness of the occasion. Frans Hals’s workshop produced multiple versions of this scene, which was likely popular for the way the artist captured childhood delight.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Workshop of Frans Hals

Title

The Rommel-Pot Player

Place

Netherlands (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1625–1635

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

39.1 × 30.5 cm (15 1/16 × 12 5/16 in.); (Framed): 68 × 61 × 7.7 cm (26 3/4 × 24 × 3 in.)

Credit Line

Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection

Reference Number

1947.78

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/59894/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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