After five years of exhaustive research and analysis utilising the most advanced techniques, from digital imaging to scientific and material-technical research, from computer science to artificial intelligence, a team of eight restorers today begin the restoration of The Night Watch by removing the varnish from the painting. This marks the beginning of the second phase of Operation Night Watch, the largest research and restoration project ever undertaken for Rembrandt’s masterpiece.
The removal of the old varnish aims to optimally preserve the painting for the future. The work, conducted with microscopic precision, takes place in full view of the public within the glass-enclosed space in the Night Watch Room.
Taco Dibbits, General Director of the Rijksmuseum:
The start of the restoration is thrilling. Removing the varnish will reveal The Night Watch‘s eventful history. It will be a unique experience for the public to follow this process up close.
Microfiber Cloth
To dissolve the varnish layer applied during the 1975-76 restoration, the restorers of 2024 will use a special microfiber cloth soaked in a solvent and held against the surface of The Night Watch for sixty seconds, allowing the varnish to be absorbed. Any remaining older varnish is then carefully removed with a cotton swab under a microscope. This process follows years of scientific research, trials on other paintings, and tests on The Night Watch itself.
Operation Night Watch
For the past five years, a large team of conservators, restorers, and scientists has been studying The Night Watch using the most advanced techniques, from digital imaging to scientific and material-technical research, from computer science to artificial intelligence. This has led to multiple breakthroughs in understanding the painting’s condition and Rembrandt’s working process. The team collaborates with experts from main partner AkzoNobel, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), University of Amsterdam (UvA), Amsterdam University Medical Centers (AUMC), University of Antwerp (UA), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), and the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. More information can be found at Operation Night Watch – Rijksmuseum.
rijksmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/exhibitions/operation-night-watch
AkzoNobel is the main partner of Operation Night Watch.
Operation Night Watch is made possible by The Bennink Foundation, C.L. de Carvalho-Heineken, PACCAR Foundation, Piet van der Slikke & Sandra Swelheim, American Express Foundation, Family De Rooij, The AutoBinck Fund, TBRM Engineering Solutions, Dina & Kjell Johnsen, Family D. Ermia, Family M. van Poecke, Bruker Nano Analytics, Henry M. Holterman Fund, Irma Theodora Fund, Luca Fund, Piek-den Hartog Fund, Zabawas Foundation, Cevat Fund, Johanna Kast-Michel Fund, Marjorie & Jeffrey A. Rosen, Thurkow Fund Foundation, Family Van Ogtrop Fund, FedEx Express, Airbnb, NICAS, the Night Watch Fund, the Municipality of Amsterdam, and the Amsterdam Museum.
About Rembrandt’s The Night Watch
The Night Watch Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq.
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642, oil on canvas.
Rembrandt’s largest, most famous canvas was made for the Arquebusiers guild hall. This was one of several halls of Amsterdam’s civic guard, the city’s militia and police. Rembrandt was the first to paint figures in a group portrait actually doing something. The captain, dressed in black, is telling his lieutenant to start the company marching. The guardsmen are getting into formation. Rembrandt used the light to focus on particular details, like the captain’s gesturing hand and the young girl in the background. She was the company mascot.
