The Night Watch

This painting did not originally have a widely accepted title. Its true subject is the civic guard led by Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, depicted as they prepare to take part in a celebration held in Amsterdam in honor of the visit of Marie de’ Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France.The members of the militia collectively commissioned the painting, each contributing about 100 guilders. The two central figures likely paid double. They hoped that Rembrandt—already renowned across the Netherlands at the time—would create a grand portrait that would immortalize their dignified and imposing presence.