Imagine, you’re a new arrival in an unfamiliar city and you’re looking for a group to help you feel at home.

To join the Bent you need to undergo an initiation ritual. The new member – depicted in this painting as ‘the greenling’ – is introduced to the other members and receives a Bent name. You also need to pay for a banquet. So if you don’t have any money, you don’t stand a chance.

Willem Doudijns, Bent name Diomedes. Collection Rijksmuseum.