A Guard Room

Although Teniers mostly depicted scenes of peasant life, he also painted several interiors of guardrooms, full of armour and military paraphernalia. Here, an obscured window on the left is the source of the light which falls on the drums, armour, cloth and ceiling lantern; this allows Teniers to display his skill in depicting various materials and textures. The blues, reds and whites concentrated in this area create a passage of colour, contrasting with the shady browns in the remainder of the picture. Similarly, the young boy and the dog are set apart from the rather rough-looking soldiers. The splendidly ornate breastplate and helmet on the stand must belong to the commander.