A team of restorers are working to preserve the beauty of the Dutch master’s masterpiece, which has been damaged several times. The operation is of such magnitude that specialists do not know when the work will be finished.
In a glass case at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, examining the smallest details using microscopes, specialists are publicly restoring one of the most famous paintings in the Netherlands: The Night Watch by Rembrandt. A team of eight art restorers began painstakingly removing layers of varnish from the 17th century masterpiecee century by Rembrandt, representing a company of the bourgeois militia of Amsterdam musketeers.
Baptized Operation Night Watchthe restoration of the painting is on such a scale that specialists do not know when the work will be finished. Many layers of varnish have been applied over time to this painting, 3.62 meters high and 4.37 meters wide, painted by Rembrandt in 1642, the peak of his career. Over the years, several restorers have strived to preserve the beauty of the work and to repair the canvas, which was damaged several times. The last layers of varnish were applied in 1975, after an insane person slashed it with a knife, then in 1981 and 1990, following an attempt to damage it with acid.
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The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam begins the restoration of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch
“In recent years, we have noticed that the varnish has yellowed and lost its transparency in places,” observes Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum. He also emphasizes that « previous restorations were carried out very quickly “. Operation Night Watch aims to remove this altered varnish to reveal the original paint. A new specialized varnish will then be applied to restore the work’s appearance « as close as possible to its former splendor »he specifies.
The Night watch laying bare
In an enclosed space, but in view of museum visitors, Anna Krekeler carefully applies a small piece of highly absorbent cloth to part of the painting representing the sleeve of a militia drummer. In a delicate operation that takes barely a minute, she applies the fabric, soaked in solvent, to the painting, before covering it with a square of flexible plastic. “When we remove it, all the polish is absorbed into the fabric and comes off”explains Esther van Duijn, restorer and conservator of paintings. Conservators then use a cotton swab to remove any varnish residue remaining on the surface of the painting.
« I think the most exciting and maybe the scariest thing is that people are looking over our shoulder, but once we start working, we tend to forget that »Confie Esther Van Duijn with entertainment. « This process offers audiences the unique opportunity to witness something truly captivating and exceptional »adds Taco Dibbits. “You will have the chance to contemplate The Night Watch in its raw state, stripped of all artifice, a truly extraordinary vision”he concludes.
“It’s the table that decides”
Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum
Curious visitors film and comment on the work taking place before their eyes. « It’s my first visit to Amsterdam and I didn’t expect to see La Ronde de nuit in a room behind glass »says Daniela Bueno, a 57-year-old Brazilian. « It’s such delicate work and it’s incredible to witness the restoration process which will still take years »she confided to AFP.
Removing the old varnish from this work constitutes the third stage of an ambitious research and conservation project, initiated five years ago. At the end of this phase, the painting will temporarily present a grayer tint, the curators said. The next steps will be to apply a new coat of varnish, touch up any alterations and install a renovated frame. « I hope it will regain some of its former splendor. »declares the restorer of the work, Esther Van Duijn.
Nobody knows when the work will be finished, according to the museum director. “It is the table itself which decides the time it will take, the pace to take”he said.
