What was Operation Night Watch?

A public research and restoration project

The Night Watch Quiz: Rembrandt's Masterpiece at the Rijksmuseum

The Night Watch quiz steps up close to Rembrandt's giant militia painting from 1642. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, its real title, why it looks dark, the 1715 trimming, attacks on the canvas, the girl with the chicken, Operation Night Watch, AI reconstruction and the Rijksmuseum.

Start the Night Watch Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Artist
Who painted The Night Watch?
Year
When was it painted?
Museum
Where does it hang?
Subject
What does the painting show?
Captain
Who leads the company in the painting?
Night
Why is it called The Night Watch?
Trim
What happened to the canvas in 1715?
Girl
What hangs from the belt of the glowing girl?
Restore
What was Operation Night Watch?
AI
How were the missing edges recreated in 2021?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who painted The Night Watch?
Answer: Rembrandt
He was a Dutch master.
Q2: When was it painted?
Answer: 1642
It is from the Dutch Golden Age.
Q3: Where does it hang?
Answer: The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
It has its own gallery.
Q4: What does the painting show?
Answer: A civic militia company
Its members paid to appear.
Q5: Who leads the company in the painting?
Answer: Captain Frans Banninck Cocq
He wears black with a red sash.
Q6: Why is it called The Night Watch?
Answer: Old varnish darkened it
It is actually a daytime scene.
Q7: What happened to the canvas in 1715?
Answer: It was cut down to fit a wall
Strips were lost.
Q8: What hangs from the belt of the glowing girl?
Answer: A chicken
Its claw was a militia symbol.
Q9: What was Operation Night Watch?
Answer: A public research and restoration project
It began in 2019 behind glass.
Q10: How were the missing edges recreated in 2021?
Answer: With artificial intelligence
They were shown temporarily.

The Night Watch Quiz – Rembrandt's Masterpiece at the Rijksmuseum

Rembrandt painted The Night Watch in 1642, showing the militia company of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq setting off. It hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and is the museum's most famous work.

The painting is not a night scene; old varnish darkened it, giving it its nickname. In 1715 it was trimmed to fit a wall in Amsterdam's town hall, losing strips on every side.

A glowing girl carries a chicken whose claw was a militia symbol. The painting survived several attacks, and Operation Night Watch, begun in 2019, let visitors watch experts study it, while AI recreated the missing edges in 2021.

What This Quiz Teaches

Art fans will enjoy these questions.

Who painted it
Where it hangs
What it shows
Why it looks dark
How it has been studied

Did You Know?

The canvas is roughly 3.6 by 4.4 meters.
Its official title names the captain and his company.
Rembrandt used dramatic light and shadow.
A lieutenant in yellow stands beside the captain.
During World War II it was hidden in a cave.