The officers of the Amsterdam Surgeons Guild 1679 - 1680

Nicolaes Maes made this painting of ‘The officers of the Amsterdam Surgeons Guild’ using oil paint, a process that has been around for centuries. Oil paint is made by suspending pigment particles in drying oil, which is then applied in thin layers to a canvas or panel. The subtle luminosity that comes from this material, as well as the artist’s skilled handling of it, is part of what defines the work. But so is the social context. Think about the guilds themselves – highly structured organizations, which gave makers control over materials and markets. The production of paintings was also organized along these lines, with studio assistants preparing surfaces and mixing paints, leaving the master to execute the most important passages. Maes’s image testifies to the labor and politics of art production as much as it reflects the high status of its subjects. It reminds us to look closely at the material, making, and context of an artwork to understand its full meaning, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.