My favorite painting was “The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch” or more commonly known as “The Nightwatch” by Rembrandt. This piece of work was completed in 1642 in Amsterdam and remains in Amsterdam today in the Rijksmuseum. This painting shows the influence of the Thirty Year War clearly, by depicting soldiers heading off to battle. The entire painting is laced with symbols of victory, for instance, the multiple uses of the color yellow was thought to symbolize victory. The dead chicken the girl is holding is supposed to symbolize a defeated adversary. This painting also shows a little bit of the influence of royalty. The paintings main subject, Frans Banning Cocq, was at one time the burgemeester, or mayor of Amsterdam. He is shown dressed in black with a red sash. I liked this painting because it has many elements to make you think a little harder than the average bear. For instance, it is called the NIGHT watch, yet there are almost spot lights shown on the girl and the two main characters. Also, speaking of the girl, what the heck is she doing there at night with a dead chicken clinging to her waist? Was that normal? Enjoy!
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March 17, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Here’s what the Rijksmuseum has to say about the girl:
Symbols
The militiamen in the Night Watch are called Arquebusiers after the arquebus, a sixteenth-century long-barreled gun. Rembrandt worked the traditional emblem of the Arquebusiers into the painting in a natural way: the girl in the foreground is carrying the main symbols. She is a kind of mascot in herself: the claws of the chicken (1) on her belt represent the ‘Clauweniers’- Arquebusiers; the pistol (2) behind the chicken stands for ‘clover’; moreover, she is holding the militia’s goblet (3). The man in front of her is wearing a helmet with an oak leaf – a traditional motif of the Arquebusiers. Another subtle detail reveals these to be Amsterdam Arquebusiers: the three crosses of the Amsterdam coat of arms can be seen in the lapel of the lieutenant’s jacket.