The painting is very dark; some details in the background can hardly be recognized. The usual explanation is that over time the many layers of varnish have darkened naturally. But maybe, some conservators added later, during the 17th or 18th Century an additional yellow-brown varnish to achieve a so called “gallery tone”. However, if we judge after a later copy (cf. image 2) of “Night Watch” we can conclude that the painting had been much lighter, initially.

The center of The Night Watch shows a militia of the 17th Century. As the Netherlands struggled at those times to gain independence from the Spanish crown, there were not uncommon. They were also named Arquebusiers, according to the arquebus, a long-barreled gun of the 16th Century. The captain of the Arquebusiers , Frans Banning Cocq, is standing beside his Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburgh. The names of 18 guild members are recorded on a plaque that is visible in the background, though it was added only later to the painting. Literature tends to interpret the remaining persons as allegories.

“The Night Watch” is one of the best known and most popular paintings of Rembrandt. It was commissioned for the banquet hall of the Amsterdam Archers Guild and remained there until 1715. Then, it came into Amsterdam’s city hall and was clipped on all four sides, because the original larger format did not fit the new location. Indeed, the original painting was 4.02 meters high and 5.10 meters wide.

The spectators in The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp are festively dressed, according to the social event. As Dr. Tulp himself they are members of the Amsterdam guild of barbers and surgeons. Tulp maintains a higher rank, though, what is reflected by the fact that Dr. Tulp is the only one still wearing his hat. However, one person missing: the taxidermist. Dr. Tulp was a man of science, not of everyday business. The 17th Century made a fine distinction between the men of science, who explained and those who had to do the crafts.

Consequently, there are no cutting instruments in the painting. Instead the painting includes a huge book in the lower right edge; probably a textbook of anatomy. An interesting thing about this painting is an error: The raised muscle (flexor digitorum superficialis) should actually be on the inside of the elbow while the painting shows it on the outside. Rembrandt had only 25 years old when he painted The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp. Nevertheless, in particular in the person of the dead, the painting shows already a feature that Rembrandt increasingly practiced in his later years: the shading of faces, a hint of the umbra mortis.