The Night Watch by Rembrandt: what it depicts
The Night Watch by Rembrandt
A company on the move
Its proper title names the men: the militia company of District II under the command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq. Rembrandt painted it for the great hall of the Kloveniersdoelen, the headquarters of one of Amsterdam’s civic guards, the arquebusiers. Instead of lining the members up in rows, as group portraits of the kind usually did, he shows them setting out. The captain, in black with a red sash, strides forward with his hand out, giving an order to his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch, dressed in pale gold. Around them men load and fire muskets, a drummer beats, a banner is raised and a dog barks.
Light, a girl and a later name
Rembrandt picks out a few figures in strong light against deep shadow. The brightest is a small girl in gold just behind the captain, with a dead chicken hanging at her waist; its claws were the emblem of the arquebusiers. The painting was not called The Night Watch until long afterwards, when darkened varnish had made a daylight scene look like night. In 1715, when it was moved to Amsterdam’s town hall, the canvas was trimmed on all four sides, most of all on the left, and figures at that edge were lost.
Where it hangs
It hangs in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, and measures 379.5 by 453.5 centimetres.
About this print
Made from a 9,000-pixel photograph of the original, enough to print sharply at up to about 60 inches on its longest side.
Sources: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · Wikidata Q219831 · Wikimedia Commons
Who Made It
Created by Rembrandt. Painted in 1642. Oil on Canvas.
All Available Options
Below is a list of all available sizes and product types.
| Type | Size | Color | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas | 10" x 8" (Horizontal) | - | $31.52 | In Stock |
| Canvas | 14″ x 11″ (Horizontal) | - | $37.49 | In Stock |
| Canvas | 20" x 16" (Horizontal) | - | $53.71 | In Stock |
| Canvas | 24" x 20" (Horizontal) | - | $96.36 | In Stock |
| Canvas | 30" x 24" (Horizontal) | - | $113.39 | In Stock |
| Framed | 10″ x 8″ (Horizontal) | Black | $56.29 | In Stock |
| Framed | 10″ x 8″ (Horizontal) | Espresso | $56.29 | In Stock |
| Framed | 10″ x 8″ (Horizontal) | White | $56.29 | In Stock |
| Framed | 14″ x 11″ (Horizontal) | Black | $73.88 | In Stock |
| Framed | 14″ x 11″ (Horizontal) | Espresso | $73.88 | In Stock |
| Framed | 14″ x 11″ (Horizontal) | White | $73.88 | In Stock |
| Framed | 20″ x 16″ (Horizontal) | Black | $109.97 | In Stock |
| Framed | 20″ x 16″ (Horizontal) | Espresso | $109.97 | In Stock |
| Framed | 20″ x 16″ (Horizontal) | White | $109.97 | In Stock |
| Framed | 24" x 20" (Horizontal) | Black | $140.18 | In Stock |
| Framed | 24" x 20" (Horizontal) | Espresso | $140.18 | In Stock |
| Framed | 24" x 20" (Horizontal) | White | $140.18 | In Stock |
| Framed | 30" x 24" (Horizontal) | Black | $205.49 | In Stock |
| Framed | 30" x 24" (Horizontal) | Espresso | $205.49 | In Stock |
| Framed | 30" x 24" (Horizontal) | White | $205.49 | In Stock |
Image: source, Public domain (work and photograph).
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