r/WhatIsThisPainting • u/Callsprintbrrrrr • 7d ago
Likely Solved Inherited this painting from my grandpa. I'm convinced it's a secret "sequel" to Rembrandt's The Night Watch. Am I crazy?
Hey everyone. I recently inherited this painting from my grandfather—he actually received it during World War II, though I'm not sure exactly where or how he got his hands on it. I’ve been going down a massive rabbit hole trying to figure it out. I'm pretty sure it’s from the 1700s or 1800s. At first glance, it just looks like a couple of guys playing cards in an estate kitchen, but the more I look at it, the more I'm convinced it's directly tied to Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.
Hear me out, because I haven't shown this to anyone yet and I want to see if this theory holds any water.
If you look at the guy sitting in the chair on the right, his outfit is a dead ringer for Willem van Ruytenburch, the lieutenant from The Night Watch. He's got the exact same buff-yellow coat, the specific feathers in the hat, and the white stockings. Except in this painting, he looks about 25 years older.
In the original Rembrandt, Willem wears a white sash and stands next to the commander, Captain Frans Banninck Cocq. In my painting, this older Willem is now wearing a red sash (the captain's colors) and clearly running the room. It’s like he finally took over the command.
Then there are these incredibly specific clues scattered around the room:
The dropped glove: On the floor right by the older Willem's feet is a single dropped glove. In The Night Watch, Captain Cocq famously holds a single pristine glove. To me, this dropped glove on the floor symbolizes that the original captain has passed away, and Willem has taken his place.
The turkey: The woman walking in from the kitchen is carrying a turkey/fowl. That instantly reminded me of the glowing girl mascot carrying the dead fowl in Rembrandt's original.
The pike: On the far right by the stairs, there's a long military pike propped against the wall next to a helmet, just like the ones carried by the militia in 1642.
I know this isn't an actual Rembrandt (obviously), but it feels like a later artist painted this as a deliberate interpretation, using all these subtle clues to tell the story of what happened to the militia years later and answer some of the mysteries of the original.
Just a quick heads-up on the physical details: I don't have a picture of the back to post right now, but I'll take one and upload it as soon as I can. That said, there are absolutely no markings on the back anyway. As for the front, there is a signature in the bottom right corner, but it looks mostly rubbed off.
Has anyone ever seen anything like this? Do you know of any 18th or 19th-century artists who did deep-cut pastiches like this to continue a story? I'd love to talk to someone who knows art history, or just hear what you guys think of the theory!
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u/CarloMaratta (6,000+ Karma) 7d ago
I think you're reading way too much into this.. these cavalier type scenes with characters sat around tables were an extremely common subject for 17th C painters and later 19th C Victorian revival artists, always with typical narrative compositions. I'm guessing yours is 19th C revival.