Rembrandt’s Night Watch is standing again. From Wednesday, visitors to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam can see the front again, after the crown jewel of the art temple had been lying on its stomach for two months to, among other things, eliminate the bulges in the painting. This had to be done urgently, because bulges can cause the paint to crack. They were remedied by putting weights on them. New bulges should be prevented with a new system.

The painting has been removed from the old wooden frame, for which more than five hundred nails had to be removed. An aluminum frame has been replaced. The support cloth applied to Rembrandt’s original canvas in 1975 is larger than the painting itself and its ‘flaps’ could be folded around the aluminum frame. Special springs have also been fitted between the frame and the fabric. These springs can be used to continuously measure whether there is any effect in the painting. Those springs can then be adjusted in such a way that the artwork is stabilized again.

An aluminum frame was chosen because it does not shrink or expand, like a wooden frame does. The whole colossus has also become tens of kilos lighter, because wood is much heavier. The wooden frame was 100 kilos thick, the aluminum one only 64.

The Rijksmuseum management must now decide whether the operation to preserve the Night Watch in all its glory for future generations will continue, or whether, for example, the varnish layer should also be replaced. That has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the world-famous work of art by our greatest master will remain in optimal condition for a very long time. The disadvantages are that the painting will not be visible again for a long time and that the intervention also entails (small) risks. The decision will be made in about two months. But until then, at least the Night Watch can be admired by everyone again.