La compañía de milicia del distrito XI al mando del capitán Reynier Reael

In 1633 the Amsterdam militia gave Frans Hals a rare honour, a commission to paint their company, unusual because Hals worked in Haarlem and this was another city's job. Then it fell apart. Hals hated the commute, guardsmen failed to turn up for their sittings, and when he demanded they come to him in Haarlem instead they refused. Years passed with the canvas unfinished. In 1637 the militia lost patience and hired an Amsterdam painter, Pieter Codde, to complete it. Look across the row and you can almost feel the seam. The livelier, more loosely brushed heads are Hals, the steadier ones Codde. The men's lean faces earned the picture its old nickname, the Meagre Company.