Judith Leyster painted this image around 1630, and it is one of twenty-five known paintings. It was rediscovered in 1968 at an art market, where it was included in a dealer’s catalogue. This catalogue referred to the work as one done by Leyster, but many experts disagreed that she was the artist. This was not uncommon; most of her works were first attributed to Frans Hals before being correctly identified. This can be seen as a testament to her expertise in this medium when compared the male counterparts of her time.

 It is unclear on whether Young Boy in Profile is meant to be a portrait of a young boy or a tronie, The clothes worn by the child were very common in those days. If it were a portrait, the determination of the gender would be positively identified. Many believe this painting was meant to be a character study and therefore the gender is unimportant; however it is still referred to as a young boy. The softness given to the overall image brings the young boy to life; a wisp of hair, referred to as a lovelock, hangs gently near his face and has not quite settled, the etched out strands of hair also giving this impression. It is as if the child had just been called inside from running around with friends, cheeks rosy from playtime with youthful glow.

By Hannah Davie

This is a link to the annotated bibliography: http://smalltreasures.as.ua.edu/?p=327