Artwork
The Company of Captain Albert Bas and Lieutenant Lucas Conijn

The Company of Captain Albert Bas and Lieutenant Lucas Conijn is an oil painting by Govert Flinck. It dates from 1645 and is held in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition includes soldiers equipped with period weaponry, notably firearms and halberds, which serve as symbols of their martial role and civic duty.
This 1645 oil painting by Govert Flinck depicts a schutterstuk, a group portrait of a civic guard company. The work specifically portrays the company led by Captain Albert Bas and Lieutenant Lucas Conijn. The composition includes soldiers equipped with period weaponry, notably firearms and halberds, which serve as symbols of their martial role and civic duty.
The presence of stairs within the scene suggests a specific architectural setting for the gathering. As a schutterstuk, the painting represents the collective identity and social standing of Amsterdam's militia members during the Dutch Golden Age.
Technique & Style
Created in 1645, The Company of Captain Albert Bas and Lieutenant Lucas Conijn is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. As a schutterstuk (civic guard group portrait), the work depicts soldiers armed with halberds and firearms, arranged alongside architectural elements such as stairs. The painting measures 347 cm in height and 244 cm in width, though one dimension is also recorded as 341 cm. Govert Flinck employed the medium of oil paint to render the formal group composition, a genre characteristic of the Amsterdam civic guard tradition. The work is currently held in the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum.
History & Provenance
Created in 1645, the painting was executed by Govert Flinck in Amsterdam using oil on canvas. The work belongs to the genre of schutterstuk, depicting members of the civic guard, specifically the company of Captain Albert Bas and Lieutenant Lucas Conijn. It is currently held in the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum, with ownership attributed to the city of Amsterdam. The dimensions of the canvas are recorded as 347 cm in height and 244 cm in width.
Overview
Govert Flinck's 'The Company of Captain Albert Bas and Lieutenant Lucas Conijn,' painted in 1645, is a civic guard group portrait executed in oil on canvas. The work depicts members of the Amsterdam civic militia gathered on the stone steps of a building, characterized by a classical architectural background featuring arches. The composition arranges the figures in a dynamic, informal grouping rather than a rigid row, capturing a moment of interaction among the officers and soldiers.
The men are attired in contemporary 17th-century military dress, including wide-brimmed hats, cloaks, and boots, while several figures hold period weaponry such as rifles and halberds. A central visual anchor is provided by a figure holding a large orange flag, likely symbolizing the House of Orange and the Dutch Republic. Created during Flinck's mature period shortly after his apprenticeship with Rembrandt, the painting demonstrates the artist's ability to blend Rembrandtesque chiaroscuro with the more polished, elegant style favored by Amsterdam's elite.
This commission reflects the civic pride and social status of the militia companies in the Dutch Golden Age, serving as both a historical record of the unit and a display of the artist's technical mastery in rendering varied textures and complex group dynamics.
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