The Rommel-Pot Player

Workshop of Frans Hals (Dutch, 1582–1666) · c. 1630

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.

Artist

Workshop of Frans Hals (Dutch, 1582–1666)

Date

c. 1630

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

Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection

Open-access artwork courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago. Mooseium is not affiliated with or endorsed by this institution.