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Supporting the future: the arts
Rijksmuseum - Project De Nachtwacht The Rijksmuseum will start in July 2019 with the largest ever investigation into Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. This takes place in front of the public in the Night Watch Gallery of the Rijksmuseum, using the latest and most advanced technology. The research will determine how Rembrandt’s masterpiece can be preserved for future generations.
Why now? The Rijksmuseum continually monitors the condition of The Night Watch, and it has been discovered that changes are occurring, such as the blanching on the dog figure at the lower right of the painting. To gain a better understanding of its condition as a whole, the decision has been taken to conduct a thorough examination. This detailed study is necessary to determine the best treatment plan, and will involve imaging techniques, high-resolution photography and highly advanced computer analysis. Using these and other methods, we will be able to form a very detailed picture of the painting – not only of the painted surface, but of each and every layer, from varnish to canvas. It is more than 40 years ago the last major restoration of The Night Watch took place, following an attack with knife stabbing in 1975. |
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Viewers from all over the world
The Night Watch will be encased in a state-of-the-art clear glass chamber designed by the French architect Jean Michel Wilmotte. This will ensure that the painting can remain on display for museum visitors. A digital platform will allow viewers from all over the world to follow the entire process online continuing the Rijksmuseum innovation in the digital field. Research team A great deal of experience has been gained in the Rijksmuseum relating to the restoration of Rembrandt’s paintings. Last year saw the completion of the restoration of Rembrandt’s spectacular portraits of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit. The research team working on the Night Watch is made up of researchers, conservators and restorers from the Rijksmuseum, which will conduct this research in close collaboration with museums and universities in the Netherlands and abroad. |
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The Night Watch
The group portrait of the officers and other members of the militia company of District II, under the command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, now known as The Night Watch, is Rembrandt’s most ambitious painting. This 1642 commission by members of Amsterdam’s civic guard is Rembrandt’s first and only painting of a militia group. It is celebrated particularly for its bold and energetic composition, with the musketeers being depicted ‘in motion’, rather than in static portrait poses. The Night Watch belongs to the city of Amsterdam, and it has been the highlight of the Rijksmuseum collection since 1808. The architect of the Rijksmuseum building Pierre Cuypers (1827-1921) even created a dedicated gallery of honour for The Night Watch, and it is now admired there by more than 2.2 million people annually. |
Financing
Operation Night Watch will take a minimum of two years. The precise extent of the subsequent restoration can only be determined after a thorough investigation. Operation Night Watch is a costly project – due to the team of researchers, conservators and restorers and the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment. The Rijksmuseum requires financing of at least five million euros for the entire operation. Without the involvement and support of benefactors, it is impossible for the Rijksmuseum to successfully complete this restoration. Every involvement in Operation Night Watch is tailor-made.
Operation Night Watch will take a minimum of two years. The precise extent of the subsequent restoration can only be determined after a thorough investigation. Operation Night Watch is a costly project – due to the team of researchers, conservators and restorers and the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment. The Rijksmuseum requires financing of at least five million euros for the entire operation. Without the involvement and support of benefactors, it is impossible for the Rijksmuseum to successfully complete this restoration. Every involvement in Operation Night Watch is tailor-made.
