Frans Hals: Marriage Portrait of Isaac Massa and Beatrix van der Laen; 1622 , Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Certainly the most appealing quality of this portrait from ca. 1625 by Frans Hals is the remarkably cheerful mood it evokes. It is hard to believe that it is in fact the official wedding portrait of this couple, the rich merchant Isaac Massa and his wife Beatrix van der Laen. The informal pose and setting were very uncommon in seventeenth-century portraits, as were smiling faces. Rather more conventional is the emphasis on the richness of their clothes, which shows their social position.
The painting is full of symbols that point to the fact that the couple has just married. To name some: the ivy at Beatrix’s feet is a symbol of eternal love, because it’s an evergreen that binds itself to the place it grows. Furthermore, in the background of an imaginary garden, in which young couples stroll, we spot a sculpture of Juno, the goddess of marriage, as well as a fountain, a symbol of fertility.