Peeckelhaeringh, or Pekelharing, refers to an old Dutch word for

pickled herring Pickled herring is a traditional way of preserving herring as food by pickling or Curing (food preservation), curing. Most cured herring uses a two-step curing (food preservation), curing process: it is first cured with salt to extract water; th ...

. Today it is best known as the name of a comic theatrical character who was the subject of a painting by

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, ; ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

. A stock character in 17th-century comic plays, Mr. Peeckelhaering was a gluttonous buffoon whose diet of herring gave him an insatiable thirst.Slive, Seymour (1990). ''Frans Hals (National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 1. October - 31 December 1989... )''. London: Royal Acad. of Arts. p. 216. . Hals's painting of the character is an oil on canvas and dates from ca. 1628–1630. The painting was documented by

Cornelis Hofstede de Groot Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (9 November 1863 – 14 April 1930), was a Dutch art collector, art historian and museum curator. Life He was born in Dwingeloo and spent some time in Switzerland in his youth due to weak lungs, where he learned German ...

in 1910, who wrote:

95. THE MERRY TOPER. B. 97; M. 267. Half-length, life size. A laughing man with a brown face is turned half right. His head is slightly inclined to the left; he looks at the spectator. He has a slight beard and moustache. His rough hair sticks out from beneath a flat red cap with yellow trimming. His costume is also red and yellow. In his left hand he holds a mug with open lid. In the same style as 96 and 98. This picture is represented in two pictures by
Jan Steen Jan Havickszoon Steen ( – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour. Life ...
, Nos. 137 and 446 (see Vol. I.). endant to 123. Compare 99a.Signed on the right above the mug " f. hals f."; canvas, 29 1/2 inches by 24 inches. Engraved by J. Suyderhoef as "Monsieur Peeckelhaering." Under the name "Peeckelhaering" pictures are mentioned in the inventories of Henric Bugge, Leyden, 1666; Hendrick Huyck, Nymwegen, January 10, 1669; and Jan Zeeuw and Marie Bergervis, who died 1690, Amsterdam according to notes by A. Bredius. A copy on canvas, 29 1/2 inches by 26 inches, signed on the right with the monogram was in the sale: Vicomte de Buisseret, Brussels, April 29, 1891, No. 41. In the chief Kassel inventory of 1749, No. 363. In the Kassel Gallery, 1903 catalogue, No. 216.Hofstede de Groot
on "The Merry Toper"; catalog number 95

A reproductive print of Hals's painting made by the local engraver Jonas Suyderhoef was published with a poem declaring that "Mr. Peeckelhaering's wet lips show how he enjoys a fresh mug of beer because his throat is always dry."

Pendants

File:Frans Hals - Peeckelhaeringh.jpg, Hofstede de Groot #95 File:Frans Hals 003.jpg, Hofstede de Groot #96, called "The Mulatto" This painting was owned by the

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

painter

Jan Steen Jan Havickszoon Steen ( – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour. Life ...

who painted it on the background walls of a few of his household scenes, namely ''The Doctor's Visit'', and ''The Christening''. File:Jan Steen - Doctor's Visit - WGA21713.jpg, Steen painting ''The Doctor's Visit'' File:Jan Steen (7).JPG, Steen painting ''The Christening'' File:Jonas Suyderhoef - Peeckelhaering.jpg, Engraving by Suyderhoef of Peeckelhaering, with rhyme File:Joseph de Bray - Still-Life.jpg, Pickled herring in a still life accompanied by a poem called "Lof aan de Pekelharing", by Joseph de Bray

References

Meneer 'Peeckelhaering'
by Jonas Suyderhoef in the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

* ''Jonas Suyderhoef: son oeuvre gravé, classé et décrit'', by Johann Wussin, Labroue & Mertens, 1862 * ''Jochem Jool, ofte Jalourschen-Pekelharingh'', comic play about a jealous husband, by Jan Zoet, 1637 {{Authority control 1630 paintings Paintings by Frans Hals Paintings in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Kassel) Portraits of men Food and drink paintings

Pendants

See also

References