Anonymous: Two regents of the saint George guild of Hoorn (1589)

(Westfries Museum, Hoorn, The Netherlands)

A painting by an unknown Dutch artist. This is an unusual civic guard piece as it shows only two men. The saint George guild of Hoorn was the oldest civic guard unit of the town and was first mentioned in 1481. Its members trained with crossbows and was used by the city council to protect the city in times of trouble (from the outside and inside). These two men are two regents (Dutch: overlieden) of the guild - they are part of the board-of-directors of the guild. The painting itself is very symbolical. In the right corner is a box for documents (this box has survived) which is decorated with the red and white Saint George's Cross. The right man, aged 35, shows his open right hand which signifies that he, as the guild, is reliable. The left man, aged 44, has an axe which shows that the guild is prepared to use force if necessary. In the window in the middle is the patron saint of the guild itself visible - saint George killing the dragon. Painting from 1589.