According to Rijksmuseum website, the Amsterdam museum is starting the restoration of “Night Watch”. The painting will be restored behind a glass wall, which means visitors will still be able to watch the process.
According to the Rijksmuseum, The Night Watch remains in an excellent condition, but the renovation is vital in order to keep it in it that way. The museum calls this the largest and most skilful restoration project in the history of this painting.
The project began with extensive research: the painting will be carefully mapped, layer by layer, by a team of 25 researchers. Employing techniques from digital imaging to scientific and material-technical research, they will take 12,500 photos and create a very accurate evaluation of the painting’s situation. This research will be the basis for a treatment plan for the restoration.
Petria Noble, head of the Rijksmuseum’s restoration department, previously announced to NRC that the researchers will do all kinds of processes and do routine checks.
The restoration time has not been set yet: according to RTL Nieuws , the last time the Night Watch was restored was in 1975, after an attack with a knife from a man. Back then, it took over eight months to fix it.
