believes she has found the answer<\/a> after stumbling on an almost identical sketch from 1619 by Adriaen van der Venne during an exhibition of the artist at the Zeeuws Museum in Middelburg.<\/p>\n\u201cI was just walking around when my book fell on a book by Jacob Cats with a dog depicted on the title page,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cImmediately the Night Watch dog came to my mind. I wasn\u2019t completely sure, so I grabbed my phone and searched for the Night Watch dog to compare it with Adriaen van der Venne\u2019s dog, and then I saw that the similarities were striking.\u201d<\/p>\n
In both artworks, the dog is crouched on the ground with its head turned upwards and its mouth open. The size, shape of the head and proportions are also very similar, although some details differ: Rembrandt\u2019s dog has its tail between its legs, while in Van der Venne\u2019s sketch it is resting on its back.<\/p>\n
Collar<\/p>\n
But the clinching factor for Lenders was the dog\u2019s collar, which in both cases is studded with a ring hanging down at the same angle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very surprised and many questions came up, like: \u2018Am I really the first one to see this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
An examination of the underlying sketch using Macro XRF imaging shows that Rembrandt initially drew the dog leaning further forwards, which is closer to the position in Van der Venne\u2019s sketch.<\/p>\n
Lenders said it reinforced the conclusion that Rembrandt used the earlier sketch as a model for the dog in his own work, as was common for artists of the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we read Rembrandt\u2019s inventory of 1656, we can see that he possessed an enormous collection of drawings and prints, which he actually used as a source of inspiration,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Dutch Smoushond<\/p>\n
There is some dispute about what breed the dog is: some observers say it is a Dutch Smoushond, while others have suggested it could be a French Griffon Fauve de Bretagne. Both were used as hunting dogs at the time, but the Smoushond\u2019s long paws and rough fur made it an ideal rat-catcher.<\/p>\n
Maria van Gaalen of the Dutch Smoushond owners\u2019 club, told Nieuwsuur: \u201cAt the time The Night Watch was painted they were used a lot in market squares in Amsterdam and Rotterdam to keep the rats and mice away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline van Santen, curator of the Zeeuws Museum, said the discovery gave an insight into Rembrandt\u2019s working methods. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to know that he was looking at a contemporary and was familiar with his work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ironically, the sketch was on loan from the Rijksmuseum as part of the exhibition in Middleburg, where Van der Venne lived from 1608 until 1625. The artist died in The Hague in 1662, so he may have seen his dog in The Night Watch after it was hung in the dining hall of the Kloveniersdoelen shooting gallery in Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have thousands of drawings there, so the fact that the curator looked at our exhibition from a different perspective and recognised the dog is quite remarkable,\u201d Van Santen said.<\/p>\n
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