Here, the military officer at the left looks directly at the viewer but points to his left, directing our attention across the room where a notary is seated with an elderly couple. While notaries were frequently negatively depicted in 16th century Netherlandish imagery, this figure’s clearly rendered features, broad smile, and direct stare suggest that he is a protagonist in this scene. The elderly couple seated behind him, painted more loosely with a monochromatic palette, appears to be receiving money from the notary.
Duck and other 17th century Dutch artists frequently employed figures in their paintings, such as the officer here, as moral instructors. The small number of figures engaged in a quiet moment of almsgiving in this scene asserts a growing concern for philanthropy in the Dutch Republic. It is also a noticeable deviation from another one of Duck’s favoured subjects, boisterous merry companies, warning viewers of the ills of overindulgence.
[Sotheby’s, New York - Oil on panel, 37 x 52 cm]