10 Hidden Details You Never Noticed In Famous Paintings
1. The Night's Watch - Rembrandt
Rembrandt, known for doing over 100 self portraits, is sometimes jokingly referred to as the inventor of the selfie. This is untrue as he did not invent the self portrait and painting oneself is considerably more difficult than extending an arm and tapping a screen.
Of all the works of Rembrandt his most celebrated piece is the Night Watch the massive 363x437cm . Painting is Rembrandt's largest work. The title is peculiar and highly inaccurate because it's not set at night, (the ageing of the varnish gives the piece dark look and dulling the colour over time) the company was not technically on watch as it was painted in peace time and the original title is 'militia company of district two under the command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq'. Not as easy as naming it self-portrait number 35.
There's a lot going on in the chaotic group piece so it's easy to miss a cameo by Rembrandt, in the back row to the left you can just make out the top of a face adorned with beret peeking over the shoulders of two men. This is widely thought to be Rembrandt himself who seemed to believe no one would notice another self-portrait.
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