Rijksmuseum Begins Restoration of Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’

Over the past five years, Rembrandt’s The Night Watch has undergone intensive scientific and material analysis at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Now, a restoration team is finally set to start phase two of Operation Night Watch, which involves a “focused plan” to remove and replace old varnish.

Painted at the height of the Dutch Golden Age, The Night Watch is among Rembrandt van Rijn’s most popular paintings. The larger-than-life canvas depicts a 17th-century guild of Amsterdam citizens protecting the city. To preserve the painting for future generations of museum-goers, the Rijksmuseum began Operation Night Watch in 2019. It is the largest and most wide-ranging research and conservation project ever carried out on the painting. Also noteworthy is the fact that a specially designed glass chamber has allowed the research and restoration teams to undertake their work in the museum’s highly trafficked Gallery of Honor in full view of the public.

The first phase of Operation Night Watch involved intensive research and analysis using digital imaging and artificial intelligence technologies. Now, a team of eight restorers will begin the task of replacing layers of old varnish on the 17th-century masterpiece. “The start of the restoration phase is filled with anticipation,” said Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits in a statement. “Removing the varnish will expose the eventful history of The Night Watch, and it will be a truly unique experience for the visiting public to be able to follow the process from so close by.”

How Restorers Will Remove Varnish Layers

The restoration team explained that Rembrandt‘s The Night Watch will start to look “very grey and dull” as they remove layers of varnish from a previous restoration of the painting in the 1970s. After that, they will add a new layer of varnish to reinvigorate Rembrandt’s true colors and “optimally preserve the painting for the future.” This meticulous process was informed by trials on other paintings, as well as preparatory tests on The Night Watch itself.

“After years of careful research, we’ve developed a focused plan to treat the varnish and paint layers of The Night Watch,” said the restoration team in a recent video. “For the removal of the old varnish, we’re using a special technique: non-woven tissue prepared with a measured amount of solvent. The advantage of this technique is that less mechanical action is required on the painting. You place the tissue on the surface and for [60 seconds] let the solvent do its work. Any remaining varnish on the surface of the painting will be removed under microscope with cotton swabs and other methods.”

Operation Night Watch Discoveries

The Rijksmuseum’s Operation Night Watch is a multidisciplinary collaboration between several major institutions. These include the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, the Delft University of Technology, the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Thus far, the project has revealed fascinating new insights into the famous painting. Earlier this year, a team of chemists used spectroscopic technology to ascertain how Rembrandt mixed arsenic sulfide pigments to achieve the golden sheen present in certain details of The Night Watch.