Template:POTD/2009-07-31
The Night Watch is one of the most famous works by the Dutch master Rembrandt. It was completed in 1642, at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age. The painting is renowned for three elements: its colossal size (363 x 437 cm, or 11 ft 10 in x 14 ft 4 in); the effective use of light and shadow; and the perception of motion in what would have been, traditionally, a static military portrait. It depicts a Schutterij (volunteer city guard) company being led by Captain Frans Banning Cocq (centre, with a red sash).