Shedding the Amber Time: From the Restoration Site of Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch' in 2026

At the very back of the Gallery of Honour in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam hangs a masterpiece of 17th-century Dutch painting: Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch' (1642).

This 'Night Watch' is now in the process of regaining its original appearance as the amber-colored varnish that has accumulated over long ages is being carefully removed.

'Operation Night Watch,' which began in 2019, is one of the largest restoration and research projects in the world. As of April 2026, it is in the midst of the old varnish removal process.

This thin film, which has yellowed and turned amber over many years, has acted like a filter over the entire work, obscuring the subtle nuances of light and color. Restorers are now carefully wiping away that filter.

In areas where the varnish has been removed, the surface may temporarily appear dull. However, what emerges is another truth, different from the heavy, warm darkness we once believed to be 'Rembrandt-esque.' The texture of armor holding the cold gleam of metal, the complex gradients of shadow, and the delicate gradations of light—the raw breath of the painter's own brushwork, hidden by the discolored varnish, is being revealed.

Cutting-edge science and the human 'eye and hand'

The reason this restoration is called the 'greatest in history' lies in its thorough scientific exploration. AI has precisely simulated the four sides that were cut off in the 18th century based on the logic of Rembrandt's brushwork and composition, and a massive high-resolution scanner has vividly exposed the underdrawings hidden beneath the paint layers and the traces of the brush where the painter hesitated and layered again and again.

Even so, all of this advanced technology is, in the end, merely a tool to support the human 'eye' and 'hand.' In the glass-walled restoration lab, the backs of the restorers, who are immersed in millimeter-scale work, are filled with a quiet sense of awe for Rembrandt's work.

Watching over the restoration process together

Everything about this project is publicly accessible. Part of the exhibition hall has been turned into a restoration site, allowing visitors to share the process of the work being gradually reborn up close. The canvas, which has survived since Rembrandt's time, is about to breathe again under the gaze of the viewers.

The completion of the restoration is expected around 2027. I would like to quietly wait for the day when 'The Night Watch,' having shed its yellowed veil, once again unfolds its vivid drama of light and shadow before us.

▶ Rembrandt works discovered using the same latest technology as 'The Night Watch' restoration project

▶ Rubens restoration project underway in Belgium

▶ Public restoration was also being conducted at the Mauritshuis