Khalsu was given a special gift to portray children. About the children of Hals, his contemporary Hans Houbraken wrote that they “are distinguished by liveliness, curiosity, they love singing and music.” It is likely that in the painting “Singing Boys” Hals portrayed his sons, and a model for “The Singing Girl”, ca. 1626 served one of his daughters.
Most often, children’s portraits became part of large group portraits of Khals. But there were exceptions. His “Nurse with a child, 1619-20 – an expressive example of this. With great sympathy, the artist painted a little girl, like an angel, and her nurse. He succeeded in flattering the vanity of the customer. Richly embroidered dress and lace baby’s cap are written very skillfully and realistically.
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