Rembrandt van RijnDutch, 1606–1669The Night Watch
De Nachtwacht
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
Rijksmuseum
Room2.31 · Night Watch GalleryAmsterdam, Netherlands
On public display.
- Checked
- 4 hours ago
- In this state since
- Sep 29, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
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 commonly referred to as The Night Watch (Dutch: De Nachtwacht), is a 1642 painting by Rembrandt van Rijn. It is in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum but is prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum as the best-known painting in its collection. The Night Watch is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings. Rembrandt's large painting of 363 by 437 centimetres (12 by 14+1⁄2 feet) is famed for transforming a group portrait of a civic militia guards (Dutch: schutterij or kloveniers) company into a compelling drama energised by light and shadow (tenebrism). The title is a misnomer; the painting does not depict a nocturnal scene.
Read on
The Night Watch was completed in 1642 at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age. It depicts the eponymous company moving out, led by Captain Frans Banninck Cocq (dressed in black, with a red sash) and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch (dressed in yellow, with a white sash). Behind them, the company's colours are carried by the ensign, Jan Visscher Cornelissen. Rembrandt incorporated the traditional emblem of the arquebusiers in the figure of the young girl who carries a dead chicken on her belt, referencing the clauweniers (arquebusiers) and a type of drinking horn used at group banquets.
Particulars
- Accession number
- SK-C-5
What it shows
Frans Banninck CocqRombout KempWillem van RuytenburchJan Visscher CornelisenReijnier Janszn EngelenBarent Harmansen BolhamerJan Adriaensen KeijserElbert WillemsenJan Claesen LeijdeckersJan OckersenJan Pietersen BronchorstHarman Jacobsen WormskerckJacob Dircksen de RoyJan van der Heede(military) standard-bearerGirl (child between toddler and youth)Drum (musical instrument)WeaponsWarfareMilitary affairs (+ citizen soldiery, civil guard, citizen militia)DogAmsterdam
Comings and goings
On view · Room 2.31 · Night Watch Gallery
Rijksmuseum · Sep 29, 2026 — now · Verified
Whether it was on view is unknown
Rijksmuseum · Unconfirmed
Sources
- Rijksmuseum: the museum's own open data · fetched 4 days ago
- Image: Rijksmuseum — public domain
Meanwhile, in the life of Rembrandt van Rijn
The whole life1631–1669 · Workplace
Amsterdam
1635–1640
Pupil: Leendert van Beijeren
1639–1658 · Residence
Rembrandt House Museum
1641
Birth of His Son Titus
In 1641 Rembrandt and Saskia's son Titus was born — the only one of their four children to survive infancy.
22 September 1641
Son born: Titus van Rijn
1642
Death of Saskia
Saskia died in 1642, probably of tuberculosis, a year after Titus's birth. Rembrandt's drawings of her on her sickbed are among his most deeply felt works.
