Zacharias Paulusz.: Officers of the old civic guard of Alkmaar (1621)

(Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar, Alkmaar, the Netherlands)

A painting from the Dutch artist Zacharias Paulusz (1580 – 1648). Alkmaar had two civic guard units: an old- and a new civic guard. The first so named as it was the oldest civic guard unit raised in Alkmaar around 1387-1408. The painting shows the officers and standard-bearers of the 2 companies of the 'old civic guard', the orange and the blue company. Not all names of the depicted men have been preserved but several names have been suggested:

- Allart Jansz Crombalgh (...- 1634): probably the standardbearer in red, the future husband of the poet and engraver Maria Tesselschade (1594-1649). According to stories at the time Allart made such an impression on Maria when they first met that Maria fainted. Allart and a daughter of the couple, Teetgen, died on the same day: the daughter from smallpox, Allard from from taking to much tranquilizers after the death of his daughter.
- Jan Pietersz Bijlevelt (...-1654): the other standardbearer
- captain Jan Gijsbertsz Pauw, probably the third or fourth man from left in the lower row
- captain Cornelis Thomasz Zijlemaker, probably the third or fourth man from left in the lower row
- Lieutenant Eduart Jacot
- Lieutenant Seger Dircksz Goudsmid
- provost Maarten Adriaenfsz. Stuyling - standing in the lower right corner
- Lieutenant of the provost Adriaen Bijman

Other men are probably Adriaen Lubbertsz Coren, Jan Jacobsz Vinck, Pieter Willemsz Oudesteijn and Cornelis Molenvliet. Zacharias Paulusz. received 195 guilders for the painting (15 guilders for each depicted man) - the daily wage of an unskilled worker was about 15 pennies per day in that time. Painting from 1621.