Banquet of the Officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard
Banquet of the Officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard
Banquet of the Officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard
By Frans Hals
Banquet of the Officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard
Banquet of the Officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard
Banquet of the Officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard
Officers of the Callivermen civic guard at their farewell dinner in 1627. They took up their posts in 1624. The guards’ servant is pictured in the background, holding a wine jug. The painting’s composition has been carefully thought out. The two groups pictured are connected by the officer with the knife: he belongs to the group at the right, but gazes to the left. The Callivermen or St. Adrian Civic Guard was established in Haarlem in 1519. It’s Dutch name, ‘Cluveniersschutterij’, was derived from the name of the firearm they used: the ‘cluver’. Their patron saint was St. Adrian. Until about 1820 this painting hung in that building. It was then brought to the town hall, where it remained until the Frans Hals Museum opened in 1913.