2-977-351 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Banquet at the Crossbowmen’s Guild in Celebration of the Treaty of Münster, 1648. Other Title(s): The Celebration of the Peace of Münster, 18 June 1648, in the Headquarters of the Crossbowmen's Civic Guard (St George Guard), Amsterdam. Civic guards were the city's militia. They were volunteers. In Amsterdam, each district had its own company with its own headquarters. In the 17th century, larger and grander buildings were built. Group portraits of the members lined the walls. In 1648, Van der Helst immortalised this Amsterdam company in their hall, celebrating the peace between Spain and the Dutch Republic.