Wybrand de Geest: Boy with colfstok and feathery ball (1631)

This painting is attributed to Wybrand the Ghost (from 1592 to between 1661 and 1665).

It shows the portrait of a boy with a colf stick in the right hand and a ball in the left hand.

This portrait may have been a model for the left figure on the anonymous double portrait that hangs in the clubhouse of the Kennemer Golfclub. In that double portrait, the ball in the left hand has been replaced by a hat, probably for compositional reasons.

What stands out is the rather hefty size of the ball. This could indicate that it was intended for the shorter pumping game. However, the seams, which were characteristic of the feathery ball, can also be clearly seen.