Rembrandt’s Night Watch has been hiding a secret for centuries
We just found out
Rembrandt’s Night Patrol is the Dutch painter’s largest painting, measuring 3.63 meters high and 4.37 meters wide. Centuries after its creation, thanks to technological advances, we are still discovering details that were not known until now.
So a group of researchers from all over Europe found to their surprise a chemical compound that they did not expect to find. Although two-dimensional, the paintings have a complex three-dimensional structure consisting of layers of paints, solvents and other chemical compounds. In other words, the final version of the Night Patrol is not the original, as several corrections and additions were made by the painter.
By irradiating the panel with X-rays, the researchers cause the dyes to absorb and then emit wavelengths that reveal the different distribution of elements in the different layers. With this technique, they were able to reveal many small details that changed from the original design to what we see with our eyes today.
What impressed the researchers, however, was the discovery of a rare form of lead, Pb(HCOO) 2 , since it has until now been detected in studies modeling the aging of old works of art and not in the works of art themselves.
We didn’t just detect lead, we detected it in areas where there is no lead-containing paint, white or yellow. We think they disappear quickly, which is why we haven’t spotted them in old artwork until now.
The distribution of lead indicates that it was more concentrated in certain layers of paint and was associated with lighter, brighter colors.
The results reveal that Rembrandt mixed lead oxides into the linoleum to help the brighter colors dry. The interaction of molecules over the years created these unique compounds. So it seems that even top painters of Rembrandt’s caliber grew impatient with the slow drying of paints.
In addition to offering insights into Rembrandt’s techniques, this research opens new avenues into historical color information and thus heritage conservation. It really gives the table another dynamic. And what he taught us is that Rembrandt never does what you expect.
The study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition .
