Sheet of the work · Rembrandt · Rijksmuseum
Date, dimensions, support and order The Night Watch
A canvas completed in 1642, painted for the great arquebusiers' hall of Amsterdam, recut in 1715 and today presented in a format which requires some explanation.
Quick response
The exact sheet in four pieces of data
The Night Watch was completed and signed by Rembrandt in 1642. It is painted in oil on a monumental canvas. The Rijksmuseum today indicates a height of 379.5 cm and a width of 453.5 cm, for a weight of 170 kg without frame and 337 kg with frame.
01 · Identity card
Data from the Rijksmuseum
02 · Why 1642?
A date written, not a vague estimate
The dating of 1642 is based on the inscription on the canvas: "Rembrandt f 1642". The letter f abbreviate Latin fecit, "did". The work therefore belongs to the moment when Rembrandt, based in Amsterdam, received major commissions for portraits and history scenes.
1642 also corresponds to the decorative layout of the new large hall of the Kloveniersdoelen. Several portraits of militias intended for the same ensemble are dated from this period. The date thus links the completion of the painting to a larger collective program.
03 · Understand dimensions
Three measures for three material realities
Format saved today. It corresponds to the current total dimensions of the support presented by the museum.
04 · Support
An oil painting on canvas, designed for a large room
Textile canvas
For a format of several meters, the canvas offers a lighter and more manageable support than a wooden panel of comparable dimensions.
Oil painting
Opaque layers, glazes and impasto combine dark depth, metallic bursts and luminous relief.
A constructed surface
Analyzes show differences in height in the painting: light areas catch light more than transparent shadows.
05 · Quartz preparation
Brown soil designed to protect and build
Operation Night Watch identified an unusual preparation containing quartz and clay. This brown layer formed the basis on which Rembrandt established his composition. It plays an optical role, but also a material one.
Research showed that a lead-rich layer was applied to protect the canvas from moisture. This choice is particularly logical for a work intended for the exterior wall of the large hall of the Kloveniersdoelen, where conditions could expose the support to wet rises.
06 · Who placed the order?
The members of the company, not the Rijksmuseum
The work is commissioned by or for the militiamen represented. Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch lead the District II company. The other paying members obtain a more or less visible place in the collective portrait.
Civic company
They are armed citizens of Amsterdam, belonging to an institution of defense, police, ceremony and sociability.
Banninck Cocq and Van Ruytenburch
Their rank justifies their dominant position in the foreground and their leading role in the scene.
A collective order
The painting must represent identifiable individuals while celebrating the company as a civic body.
07 · Original destination
The great hall of the Kloveniersdoelen
The Kloveniersdoelen was the seat of the arquebusiers, one of the components of the Amsterdam Civic Guard. Its new large room hosted a set of seven portraits of militias, painted by several artists and adapted to specific locations.
The Night Watch was therefore not thought of as a solitary work. It dialogued with the paintings of Nicolaes Eliasz Pickenoy, Jacob Backer, Govert Flinck, Joachim von Sandrart and Bartholomeus van der Helst. Its format, horizon and dynamics must be understood on the scale of this room.
08 · Why such a large format?
Represent the militiamen almost on a spectator scale
The large format serves several functions. It makes numerous portraits readable, affirms the collective power of the company and allows Rembrandt to advance the figures towards visitors to the room.
The width accommodates the crowd and the forest of weapons; the height gives the flag, the spades and the architecture a ceremonial scale. The dimensions are therefore not a simple record: they determine the physical experience of the painting.
09 · 1715: cutting
Four strips removed to bring the canvas between two doors
The cut fragments were never found. The reconstructed dimensions, approximately 393.1 × 507.4 cm, are based on Lundens' copy and research carried out by the Rijksmuseum.
10 · Property and conservation
A municipal work kept at the Rijksmuseum
The Night Watch belongs to the City of Amsterdam and is loaned to the Rijksmuseum. This nuance is important: the museum preserves, exhibits, studies and restores a municipal work from the civic history of the city.
Completion for the Kloveniersdoelen.
First known mention in the large room.
Transfer to city hall and cutting.
Presentation at the Trippenhuis, future core of the Rijksmuseum.
Installation in the new Rijksmuseum.
Operation Night Watch: public study and treatment.
11 · Current support and voltage
What we see on the back is not directly Rembrandt's canvas
Throughout its history, the painting has been re-canvased: a reinforcing canvas has been glued to the reverse of the original support. When the work is observed from the rear, it is therefore mainly this lining that we see.
The frame keeps the canvas under tension. The dimensions, weight and reaction of the textile to variations in humidity make structural monitoring essential. Operation Night Watch thus used contactless mapping, imaging and measurement techniques.
12 · Summary sheet
All essential data
| Artist | Rembrandt van Rijn |
|---|---|
| Date | 1642, signed "Rembrandt f 1642" |
| Technique | Oil on canvas |
| Current dimensions recorded | 379.5 × 453.5 cm |
| Remaining original canvas part | Approximately 363 × 438 cm according to the detailed information sheet of the Rijksmuseum |
| Original reconstructed format | Approximately 393.1 × 507.4 cm |
| Weight | 170 kg without frame; 337 kg with frame |
| Order | By or for members of Frans Banninck Cocq's company |
| Destination | Great Hall of the Kloveniersdoelen, Amsterdam |
| Owner | City of Amsterdam |
| Conservation | Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, on loan from the City |
| Inventory number | SK-C-5 |
In the store
Adapt this monument to your space
The hand-painted reproduction maintains the horizontal relationship of the work while allowing you to choose a format compatible with your wall.
See reproduction →Frequently asked questions
Date, format and order The Night Watch
When was La Ronde de nuit painted?
It was completed in 1642, a date inscribed with Rembrandt's signature.
What are its current dimensions?
The Rijksmuseum is 379.5 cm high by 453.5 cm wide.
Why are we also finding the dimensions 363 × 438 cm?
They correspond to the part of the original canvas still preserved, distinct from the current total dimensions of the support.
What was its size before cutting?
The reconstruction of the Rijksmuseum estimates the original format at around 393.1 × 507.4 cm.
What did Rembrandt paint the work on?
In oil on a textile canvas prepared with several layers, including a brown preparation containing quartz and clay.
Who ordered La Ronde de nuit?
Members of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq's civic company, or the institution acting for them.
Where should it be displayed?
In the great hall of the Kloveniersdoelen, seat of the arquebusiers of Amsterdam.
Why was the painting cut?
By 1715 it was too large for its new location at City Hall and had to fit between two gates.
Who owns La Ronde de nuit?
To the City of Amsterdam; it is kept at the Rijksmuseum in loan form.
How much does it weigh?
About 170 kg without frame and 337 kg with frame, according to the Rijksmuseum.
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