Six Regents and the Housemaster of the Oudezijds Institute for the Outdoor Relief of the Poor, Amsterdam, 1675 1675

Pieter van Anraedt painted this group portrait of the regents of the Oudezijds House in 1675. Their black attire, stark against their white collars, signifies their sober duty. Papers in hand, they are arbiters of charity, embodiments of civic responsibility. The table acts as a stage, and the regents' hands, some holding papers, others gesturing, are powerful symbols of their authority. Hands, these instruments of action and creation, remind us of the ancient Roman tradition of displaying hands in public to symbolize power. Consider, too, the hand of God in Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, a gesture of life and command. Here, though, the gestures are more subdued, reflecting the solemnity of their role. The motif of the hand, laden with symbolism, has shifted from divine power to civic governance. It speaks to our collective memory, a subconscious recognition of the human capacity to shape our world, for better or worse, echoing through centuries of art.