[2] Christoffel van der Laemen is known for his merry company scenes depicting elegant figures.

The compositions reprise many of the themes common in Northern genre painting of the 17th century such as card and backgammon players, brothel scenes, the prodigal son, dancing, music making and scenes of food and drink set in elegant rooms, inns and gardens.

His pupil Hieronymus Janssens became even more closely linked to the subject of dancing scenes, which earned him the nickname 'the dancer'.

In the background on the right is depicted the fate of the dissolute prodigal son after he had squandered all his money and had fallen on hard times.

Even while the picture does not directly reference the biblical story it is clear that the prodigal son has ended up in dubious company.

The elegant figures with their colourful attire and the sumptuous still life (pronkstilleven) on the table add to the picture's charm.

[9] It is believed that the Polish-Dutch genre painter Laurence Neter, who likely worked for a period of time in Middelburg near Antwerp, was influenced by the merry company paintings of van der Laemen.