Portrait of Jacobus Hendricksz Zaffius
Portrait of Jacobus Hendricksz Zaffius
Portrait of Jacobus Hendricksz Zaffius
By Frans Hals
Portrait of Jacobus Hendricksz Zaffius
Portrait of Jacobus Hendricksz Zaffius
Portrait of Jacobus Hendricksz Zaffius

One of the earliest portraits by Frans Hals, the first that is dated: Jacobus Zaffius, 1611. As a provost and archdeacon, Zaffius was the highest official of the Catholic church in Haarlem. Haarlem was a Protestant city and Catholicism was officially forbidden. However the city council kept one eye shut and Zaffius was allowed to pursue his profession. On one engraving made after this portrait, Zaffius is depicted at three-quarter length. For this reason, it was surmised that the painting was originally larger. However, this is not the case because the panel was never cut.