Four Regents and the ‘House Father’ of the Amsterdam Lepers’ Asylum
The men wearing hats are the regents, or buitenvaders, of the Amsterdam Lepers’ Asylum, which cared for people suffering from leprosy and other ailments. The bare-headed man at left is the binnenvader, or house father, charged with the daily running of the asylum. The relief behind the group illustrates an appropriate biblical scene: dogs licking the sores of Lazarus, a beggar afflicted with leprosy.