Sellingantiques.co.uk Logo
 1,569 visitors today 0 antiques approved today, Wed 21 May
ANTIQUE #SA575143

After Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn , 1606-1669 "The Night Watch" The Shooting Company Of Frans Banning Cocq And Willem Van Ruytenburch

£4,500    $6,048    €5,343
After Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn , 1606-1669
 
''The Night Watch'' The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch
 
oil on panel
 
40 x 60 cm. (16 x 24 in.)
 
Provenance
 
Property of a Nobleman
 
Notes
 
In popular culture The Night Watch is probably regarded as currently the fourth most famous painting in the Western world, after the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
 
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.
 
The painting is famous for three things: its colossal size (363 cm × 437 cm (11.91 ft × 14.34 ft)), the dramatic use of light and shadow (tenebrism) and the perception of motion in what would have traditionally been a static military group portrait. The painting was completed in 1642, at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age. It depicts the eponymous company moving out, led by Captain Frans Banning Cocq (dressed in black, with a red sash) and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch (dressed in yellow, with a white sash). With effective use of sunlight and shade, Rembrandt leads the eye to the three most important characters among the crowd: the two gentlemen in the centre (from whom the painting gets its original title), and the woman in the centre-left background carrying a chicken. Behind them, the company''s colours are carried by the ensign, Jan Visscher Cornelissen. The figures are almost life-size.
 
Rembrandt has displayed the traditional emblem of the arquebusiers in a natural way, with the woman in the background carrying the main symbols. She is a kind of mascot herself; the claws of a dead chicken on her belt represent the clauweniers (arquebusiers), the pistol behind the chicken represents clover and she is holding the militia''s goblet. The man in front of her is wearing a helmet with an oak leaf, a traditional motif of the arquebusiers. The dead chicken is also meant to represent a defeated adversary. The colour yellow is often associated with victory.
 
For much of its existence, the painting was coated with a dark varnish, which gave the incorrect impression that it depicted a night scene, leading to the name by which it is now commonly known. This varnish was removed only in the 1940s.
 
In 1715, upon its removal from the Kloveniersdoelen to the Amsterdam Town Hall, the painting was trimmed on all four sides. This was done, presumably, to fit the painting between two columns and was a common practice before the 19th century. This alteration resulted in the loss of two characters on the left side of the painting, the top...
Antique #SA575143, shown on this page, originates from the 18th century. For historical context, the timeline below highlights the period when it was made:
←C18th
Famous inventions historic timeline graphic to help to give historical context to the date of this antique.
CONTACT DETAILS OF SELLER:
Artware Fineart
London
United Kingdom
TELEPHONE SELLER
07958 699 645
EMAIL SELLER
EXTRA RESOURCES
HISTORIC TIMELINE OPTIONS

Categories of Interest

mgctlbxN$MZ mgctlbxV$5.3.7 mgctlbxL$C