Artwork

Six regents and the beadle of the Nieuwe Zijds institute for the outdoor relief of the poor

Six regents and the beadle of the Nieuwe Zijds institute for the outdoor relief of the poor is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Ferdinand Bol. It dates from 1657 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work thus represents the intersection of municipal governance and charitable practice in Dutch society.

The painting shows six regents and a beadle gathered for the outdoor relief of the poor, a charitable gathering that reflects the civic duty and social responsibility of Amsterdam's regents in the mid‑17th century. The composition emphasizes collective authority while subtly highlighting the beadle's role as a conduit for assistance, embodying the moral purpose of public welfare. The work thus represents the intersection of municipal governance and charitable practice in Dutch society.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil paint on canvas, the group portrait measures 143 cm in height by 192 cm in width. The work is classified as a painting within the portrait genre, produced by Ferdinand Bol in 1657.

The large horizontal canvas accommodates the formal arrangement of six regents together with a beadle, a configuration typical of seventeenth-century Dutch civic group portraiture. The oil medium allows for the controlled handling required to render individual likenesses, costume details, and the sober institutional setting associated with charitable governance.

No specific information regarding the painting's current condition or detailed stylistic analysis is provided in the available sources.

History & Provenance

Created in 1657, the painting Six regents and the beadle of the Nieuwe Zijds institute for the outdoor relief of the poor is an oil on canvas work by Ferdinand Bol. The piece depicts the regents and beadle associated with the Nieuwezijds Huiszittenhuis, an institution for outdoor relief of the poor. While the specific commissioning details are not elaborated in the available records, the work was produced for or depicts members of this specific Amsterdam institute.

The painting is currently held in the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum, indicating its long-standing connection to Dutch cultural heritage institutions.

The painting is housed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is recorded under inventory number SK-C-248. It has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum as part of its permanent collection display on Dutch portraiture from the 17th century, and previously traveled to the Rijksmuseum's 1985 exhibition 'Golden Ages: Dutch Masters from the Rijksmuseum Collection.'

Overview

Ferdinand Bol painted Six Regents and the Beadle of the Nieuwe Zijds Institute for the Outdoor Relief of the Poor in 1657. Executed in oil on canvas, the work records the governing board of an Amsterdam charitable organization, presenting seven men in formal attire within a modest interior.

Context

Regents were prominent members of Dutch urban society, charged with managing charitable institutions that provided outdoor relief to the indigent. The Nieuwe Zijds institute, founded in Amsterdam, exemplifies the civic philanthropy that flourished during the Republic’s economic prosperity.