Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard, Frans Hals from the old master collection

Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard, Frans Hals

The officers who served in the Civic Guard of St George from 1624 to 1627 attend their farewell banquet. Officers were appointed for three years by the town council. The end of their term of office was marked with a banquet.
The officers and ensigns wear sashes in the colours of their company: white, orange or blue. The place of honour, in the foreground and at the head of the table, is occupied by the colonel, Aernout Druyvesteyn. A place in the foreground is also reserved for Ensign Boudewijn van Offenberg, Captain Michiel de Wael and Captain Nicolaes le Febure. It was these men who in 1625 had taken part in an expedition of both Haarlem civic guards to Heusden in North Brabant to provide reinforcements. Their participation in this ‘action’ may have prompted the commissioning of this group portrait. The officers of the Calivermen also had a civic guard portrait painted at the end of this period of office.
Captain Le Febure is shown standing so that it is not obvious just how short he was. Boudewijn van Offenberg and Jacob Schout are also portrayed in the civic guard portrait of 1616. They were standard-bearers from 1612 to 1627.