Rijksmuseum Collaborates With Zoo Scientists On“Night Watch” Microbe Study

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has partnered with the ARTIS-Micropia science museum, an extension of the city's zoo, to research the invisible microbial life present on Rembrandt's“The Night Watch” (1642). Microbiologist Eline van Bloois of ARTIS-Micropia described the experience of collecting samples from the masterpiece as“very scary” due to the painting's widespread recognition.

Findings from this study are currently showcased at“The Night Watch Lives,” an exhibition that opened on November 11 at ARTIS-Micropia. A full-size reproduction of the Dutch Golden Age painting at the museum indicates where samples were taken, with corresponding Petri dishes displaying the microorganisms found on the canvas. Initial results have identified common soil bacteria and skin bacteria that offer protection against pathogens. A notable discovery was Microbacterium saccharophilum, a species first identified at a Japanese sugar refinery. Its presence on the Dutch artwork remains a mystery, prompting Van Bloois to comment,“This is how it often goes with science, you start off with one question. You leave with a hundred.”

The installation at ARTIS-Micropia is still expanding. So far, three of six planned microbial sampling trips to the Rijksmuseum have been completed, with 20 bacterial findings currently on display. According to Karlien Pijnenborg, head of the adjoining Groote Museum and project leader,“There are 10 of them in the incubator right now; they're brooding and still need to be identified.” She added,“And once they return, they'll get a name tag and join the others. At the end, there'll be 60.” The exhibition is expected to be fully formed by February and will remain on view until the end of May. Van Bloois noted,“We want to have taken multiple samples, so we really have gone over the entire painting.”

The collaboration is the first instance of microbial research being conducted on a work of art, according to ARTIS-Micropia, which is the world's first museum dedicated solely to microbes. Pijnenborg expressed a desire to broaden public interest in microbes, which are vital despite often being associated with illness. Van Bloois highlighted that only about 1% of known microbes are disease-causing.

This research aligns with Operation Night Watch, a comprehensive restoration and research project launched in 2019. In 2023, scientists involved in Operation Night Watch discovered a rare lead compound beneath the painting's primer layer, believed to have been applied by Rembrandt to protect the canvas from mold, as it was destined for a damp exterior wall. Restorers are currently removing old varnish layers, a process visible live at the Rijksmuseum, and the operation is expected to continue for years. Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum, noted the interdisciplinary nature of the research, stating at a press conference,“Thirty or forty years ago, nobody could have imagined you'd be talking to a chemist or biologist about 'The Night Watch.'” He concluded,“And I think precisely because this research is broadening, the fact that the humanities and the exact sciences are collaborating, it also leads to it becoming more widely embraced.”

Source: Hyperallergic

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