Thomas de Keyser
Dutch, 1596/97-1667

These men are the syndics, or officers, of the Amsterdam association of metalworkers. Syndics oversaw the quality of the raw material and of the finished products of guild members. Because their portrait hung in the guildhall, visible to their customers, Thomas de Keyser created a group portrait that communicates the authority and the competence of the syndics.

The officer on the left holds with tongs a small porous bone cup (a cupel) that absorbs molten ore, leaving behind gold or silver. He points to the pile of silver belts—luxury products of the guild. To indicate the man’s status as highest-ranking syndic, de Keyser places his head above the others and costumes him in elaborate patterned silk. The seated man in the center grasps a set of “touch needles” used to determine the purity of gold or silver. The other seated man extends his hand towards the viewer, palm up, in a gesture of persuasion.

Oil on canvas, 1627
Museum Purchase, 1960.11