Merrymakers at Shrovetide, ca. 1616?17, Oil on canvas, 51 3/4 x 39 1/4 in. (131. 4 x 99. 7 cm), Paintings, Frans Hals (Dutch, Antwerp 1582/83?1666 Haarlem), The loud style of this early work by Hals suits its subject, which is Vastenavond (Shrovetide or Mardi Gras), a pre-Lenten carnival featuring bad food and worse behavior. Two characters from the comic stage, Peeckelhaering (Pickled Herring) and Hans Wurst (John Wiener? ), cozy up to a young 'lady' with a Dutch boy haircut and a bull neck