Rembrandt: The Night Watch Has Been Attacked Three Times, Cut in 1715, and AI-Reconstructed at 44.8 Gigapixels

May 27, 2026

Rembrandt Night Watch biography DeckArts Berlin

Last updated: May 2026 · By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin

Quick answer

Rembrandt (1606–1669) painted the Night Watch in 1642. It has been physically attacked three times (1911, 1975, 1990), permanently cut in 1715 removing two figures, and AI-reconstructed at 44.8 gigapixels in 2021. He died bankrupt. Night Watch triptych (~$310) on forest green or navy. DeckArts from ~$310. Ships from Berlin.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669) was born in Leiden and became the most celebrated Dutch painter of the 17th-century Golden Age. He died in Amsterdam in poverty after bankruptcy in 1656. His Night Watch (1642, 363 × 437 cm, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam) is the most attacked painting in Western art history. External references: Rijksmuseum — Night Watch; Rijksmuseum — Night Watch Research and Restoration; National Gallery London — Rembrandt. DeckArts Berlin from ~$310.

Rembrandt’s Biography: Amsterdam, Bankruptcy, Late Work

Born 15 July 1606 Leiden, ninth of ten children of a miller. Trained under Jacob van Swanenburch and then Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam c.1624–1625 (Lastman had studied in Rome; direct inheritance of Caravaggio’s dramatic lighting). Married Saskia van Uylenburgh 1634; Saskia died 1642 (the year the Night Watch was completed) after the birth of Titus, their only surviving child. Hendrickje Stoffels from c.1649 until her death 1663; Titus died 1668. Rembrandt died 4 October 1669 in poverty. Declared bankrupt 1656; house (Jodenbreestraat, now Museum Het Rembrandthuis) and entire collection sold at auction 1657–1658. The late self-portraits of the 1660s — one of the finest is at the National Gallery London — are widely considered the most psychologically penetrating portraits in Western painting history.

The Night Watch: 34 People, Kloveniersdoelen, 1642

Commissioned by the civic guard company of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch for the Kloveniersdoelen — the Amsterdam musketeer company’s headquarters. Paid for by the 18 guardsmen depicted (each paid proportional to prominence in the composition; total to Rembrandt approximately 1,600 guilders). The specific formal innovation: Rembrandt depicted the company in the act of mustering and setting out — figures at different scales, positions, and distances — rather than the static side-by-side arrangement of most Dutch civic guard portraits. The dramatic energy of history painting applied to the civic portrait genre.

Three Physical Attacks

1911 (bread knife): 10 January 1911, dismissed ship’s cook attacked with a bread knife. Several cuts; painting restored; damage not visible in normal viewing.

1975 (bread knife, 12 cuts): 14 September 1975, schoolteacher Wilhelmus de Rijk attacked with a bread knife, making 12 zigzag cuts, the largest approximately 80 cm long. Overpowered by museum visitors. History of psychiatric illness; committed to psychiatric institution. Most severe damage of the three; restoration now nearly invisible to casual viewers.

1990 (sulphuric acid): 6 April 1990, sulphuric acid sprayed on the painting. Neutralised by guards before the paint layer was permanently damaged. Least severe of the three attacks. Security system significantly upgraded after this incident. See: Rijksmuseum Night Watch Research and Restoration. As The Guardian’s Rembrandt coverage notes, the attack history is one of the most discussed aspects of the painting’s biography.

The 1715 Cut: Two Figures Permanently Removed

In 1715 the painting was moved from the Kloveniersdoelen to Amsterdam’s Town Hall (now the Royal Palace on Dam Square). The doorway was narrower than the canvas; the painting was cut on all four sides (∼60 cm from left, 22 cm from top, 12 cm from right, 7 cm from bottom) rather than modifying the doorway. The left cut removed two complete figures: a drummer and the figure behind him. The original composition is known from a contemporary copy by Gerrit Lundens (c.1642–1655, National Gallery London). The 1715 cut is one of the most consequential acts of institutional damage to any major Western painting.

The 2021 AI Reconstruction: 44.8 Gigapixels

The Rijksmuseum’s Operation Night Watch project (2021) included: full-scale physical restoration; a 44.8 gigapixel photographic scan (the highest-resolution Rijksmuseum scan ever); and an AI reconstruction of the 1715 cut sections using a neural network trained on the Night Watch itself, guided by the Lundens copy. The result was digitally printed and temporarily displayed. The 44.8 gigapixel scan is publicly accessible through the Rijksmuseum’s online collection. See: Rijksmuseum Night Watch Research.

Tenebrism and the Dark Wall Installation

The Night Watch’s dominant quality is tenebrism (from the Italian tenebroso, ‘dark’): extreme contrast between deep shadow and concentrated warm directional light. Approximately 60% of the canvas is in deep brown-black shadow; the warm yellow light falls on Captain Banninck Cocq, Lieutenant van Ruytenburch, and the mysterious bright small girl in the yellow dress (the painting’s most discussed chromatic element). Darkness from which warmth emerges. On forest green or navy: the wall’s external dark and the painting’s internal dark form a continuous field from which the warm tenebrism emerges. The most specific Night Watch installation logic. See: How to Choose Art for a Dark Wall.

Rembrandt Night Watch triptych DeckArts Berlin

Night Watch — Triptych (~$310)

Three attacks · 1715 cut removed two figures · 44.8 gigapixel AI 2021 · UV archival 100+ years · Canadian maple · Berlin

Browse DeckArts →

Installation Guide

Living room primary wall (canonical): Triptych (~$310) on forest green or navy above sofa at 155–165 cm centre. Directed 2700K ceiling track spot. See: Night Watch: Complete Guide.

Home library: Triptych (~$310) on forest green. The most eventful painting above the most intellectually accumulated room. See: Wall Art for a Home Library 2026.

Above fireplace: 30 cm above wood-burning mantel (15–20 cm above gas). Art centre ~182–185 cm. Warm tenebrism above warm flame. See: Wall Art Above a Fireplace 2026.

Zoom background: Triptych on forest green behind desk, 155–165 cm. Most visually distinctive dark academia Zoom background. See: Wall Art for a Home Office.

FAQ

How many times has the Night Watch been attacked?

Three times: 1911 (bread knife, several cuts, restored); 1975 (bread knife, schoolteacher Wilhelmus de Rijk, 12 cuts, most severe, nearly invisible after restoration); 1990 (sulphuric acid, neutralised before paint damage). Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. DeckArts triptych from ~$310.

Why was the Night Watch cut in 1715?

To fit through a doorway when moved to Amsterdam’s Town Hall. Cut on all four sides; two figures permanently removed from the left. Original composition documented in the Lundens copy (c.1642–1655, National Gallery London). AI reconstruction 2021 digitally restored the cut sections. Rijksmuseum Night Watch Research. DeckArts from ~$310.