Museum shares ultra-high-definition image of Rembrandt's most famous work
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Loading... - Molly Palmer
- 04 Jan 2022
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The Dutch museum published the ultra-high-resolution photograph of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch on its website. The image is 717 gigapixels – or 717,000,000 pixels – allowing visitors to view the Dutch artist’s most famous painting in greater detail than ever before, all from the comfort of their home.
The work of art dates back to 1642 and portrays one of the three headquarters of Amsterdam’s civic guard – a group of civilian soldiers who defended the city from attack and were led by Captain Frans Banninck Cocq. It was painted on a huge canvas of about 3,8 metres by 4,5 metres and has a framed weight of around 337 kg.
The Night Watch, closer than ever! With our extremely detailed, 717 gigapixel, photograph of Rembrandt’s Night Watch it is now possible to zoom in even further on minute, pin-sharp particles of pigment in The Night Watch. ✨
âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/SQT1dDMLVt
Proud partner: #AkzoNobel pic.twitter.com/e1eNdX8wOd
— Rijksmuseum (@rijksmuseum) January 3, 2022
To create the image of this painting, a 100-megapixel Hasselblad H6D 400 MS camera was used to take 8,439 individual pictures measuring 5,5 cm by 4,1cm, which were the stitched together digitally using artificial intelligence. The result was a file of 5.6 terabytes, according to the museum.
Following the ageing process
The photograph was mainly created as part of the Operation Night Watch, the largest research project that has ever been undertaken on the painting.
As part of this “operation,” the Rijksmuseum is using the newest and most advanced technology to determine how the masterpiece can be best preserved for future generations. Read More…
