Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Frans Hals Museum—Room 14
Rosy-cheeked Nicolaes Woutersz van der Meer (see his portrait,
page 227), hand on hip, turns
around with a friendly look,
while the man to the right,
the colonel in charge, waves
us in. Frans Hals knew these
men well as friends and col-
leagues, since he himself was
a lifelong member of this
Civic Guard company.
This band of brothers is
united by common gestures—two men have hands on hips, three
turn their palms up, two plant their hands downward, three clutch
wine glasses. But mostly, they're joined by the uniform sashes. The
red sashes slant both left and right, perfectly forming opposing
diagonals.
With this painting, Frans Hals broke the mold of stuffy
group portraits. He relegates the traditional symbolic weapons to
the shelf (upper right) and breaks up the traditional chorus line of
soldiers by placing the men naturally around a table. Van der Meer
