A new high-resolution scan of The Night Watch lets you zoom in close enough to see all its small details: brushstrokes, small cracks around the eyes and noses, and even the facial expressions of every character.
The Night Watch was painted in 1642 by Rembrandt van Rijn. The painting itself is famous for a few reasons, including its large size, measuring at 11.91 feet x 14.34 feet, and its use of light and shadow to emphasize specific characters in the painting.
This new scan was published by the imaging team at the Rijksmuseum, a national Dutch museum based in Amsterdam. The release of the high-resolution image is part of a research and conservation initiative to conserve Rembrandt’s piece.
This is not the first time the painting was brought online in high resolution, but this version stands out because of better color, lighting, and shadow detail. Google Arts & Culture also has an image of the painting, however, as Rijksmuseum senior scientist Rob Erdmann notes on Twitter, the Rijksmuseum’s version has “25 times more data” and better coloring compared to Google’s version.
The actual painting is on display at the Rijksmuseum.
