Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard
Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard
Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard
By Frans Hals
Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard
Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard
Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard
On Frans Hals’ very first schuttersstuk we see the officers of the St. George guard at their farewell banquet. They served from 1612 to 1615. The hierarchy of rank is shown in the seating arrangement. At left, at the head of the table, sit the colonel and the provost, the highest-ranking officers. The three captains sit in the middle, with the three lieutenants at the end. Around them stand three reserve officers and the company’s servant. The term of service for reserve officers did not end after three years; they retained their post as long as they remained unmarried. The captain seated in the foreground is Nicolaes van der Meer. Hals painted his portrait again in 1631, together with his wife Cornelia Vooght. These paintings are also part of the collection of the Frans Hals Museum.