Scenes of soldiers formed a popular subgenre of Dutch art, known as kortegaardjes, derived from the French term corps de garde for the military post where the changing of the guard took place. Soldiers were a familiar sight in the Dutch countryside during the Eighty Years War (1568–1648). The motif of sleeping soldiers may allude to the Roman soldiers who fell asleep while guarding Christ’s tomb, and were therefore oblivious to his Resurrection.
Frame: Reproduction, 2003, based on a Dutch frame from 1618