Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, also known as The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch, but mostly known and most commonly referred to as The Night Watch (Dutch: De Nachtwacht), is a 1642 oil painting by Rembrandt van Rijn.
One of the most famous paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, it belongs to the collection of the Amsterdam Museum but is prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum as the best-known painting in its collection. In 2019, the Museum began its longest and most comprehensive study and restoration of the painting, with the hopes to complete it sometime in 2024.
Not to be confused with the Night's Watch or the Discworld novel Night Watch, which nonetheless uses the painting as inspiration for its cover.
The Night Watch provides examples of:
- Bling of War: The higher-ranking militiamen wear helmets (or hats) ornated with engravings and feathers, sashes, and puffy-sleeved upper garments. The captain and his lieutenant have golden embroideries on their clothes and sashes, as well as decorated weapons.
- Chiaroscuro: Rembrandt made frequent use of scenes where people are shown in contrast between dark and light. Sometimes it only appeared to be this way. The Night Watch was nicknamed that way because of its dark varnish, which had people think it depicted a night scene. This varnish was removed only in the 1940s.
- City Guards: The painting depicts a company of militiamen guarding a city district.
- Creator Cameo: Rembrandt did many self-portraits, but one of his best-known is a mostly-obscured figure in this painting, looking directly at the viewer.
- Team Power Walk: Rather unusually for a group portrait, The Night Watch depicts the Militia Company of District II walking down the street carrying their weapons (and a big drum) in a way that is meant to convey "we are here to protect you, citizen". The two officials are at the center and in the painting's foreground.
- Team Title: Its original title starts with the phrase "Militia Company of District II" and the painting is a group portrait of them.
- Title Confusion: The only reason the painting is named The Night Watch has to do with the fact that it was covered with a dark varnish that gave the impression that the scene took place at night, while it originally doesn't.
- Re-Cut: The painting was originally larger, as a 18th century copy shows
◊. Upon its removal from the Kloveniersdoelen to the Amsterdam Town Hall, the painting was cut down on all four sides, presumably to fit it between two columns. It was sadly a common practice before the 19th century.
