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Dutch, 'A Company of Amsterdam Militiamen', 19th century

About the work

This picture is either a copy of a mid-seventeenth-century Dutch painting, which is now lost, or an imitation or pastiche. As the paint contains a pigment that was not available to artists until the 1840s, it was most likely painted in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The picture has previously been linked to several seventeenth-century Dutch artists, most notably Govert Flinck, a pupil of Rembrandt, as there is some very superficial resemblance to his paintings of the late 1640s. The clothes can also be dated to that period. However, any connection to Flinck is extremely tenuous.

Group portraits were popular in Dutch painting, with Rembrandt’s Night Watch of 1642 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) being the most famous example. The group here consists of helmeted soldiers and finely dressed cavaliers, who may be officers. A standard bearing the arms of Amsterdam can be seen behind one of the men in black who stands centre left.

Key facts

Full title
A Company of Amsterdam Militiamen
Artist
Dutch
Date made
19th century
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
75.2 × 133 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1891
Inventory number
NG1343
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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