Portrait of a man holding a skull

Frans Hals's portrait shows a man in a three-quarter view against a dark, plain background, wearing a large white ruff and a dark gown, and holding a skull in his left hand while his right hand is extended toward the viewer. The color palette is restrained to flesh tones, white lace, and deep blacks, with the skull rendered in pale bone hues. The brushwork is loose and confident, with lively textures in the ruff and energetic modeling of the face, characteristic of Hals's realistic, early Baroque portrait style.