The Swijgh Utrecht Tower in Amsterdam

pen and brown ink, c. 1650-1655

The Arquebusiers, who commissioned Rembrandt’s Night Watch, assembled in the two structures at the left in this drawing. The Night Watch hung in the leftmost modern building of the complex from 1642. The nearby medieval city wall tower had a tall pointed roof in Rembrandt’s time. Rembrandt omitted it to showcase the original architecture. He used such old round towers as scenery in his history scenes.

Artwork typedrawing
Object numberRP-T-1969-222
Dimensionsheight 166 mm x width 235 mm
Physical characteristicspen en bruine inkt; kaderlijnen in bruine inkt

Discover more

"Amsterdam" by Rembrandt van Rijn

Officers and other civic guardsmen of District II in Amsterdam, under the command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, known as ‘The Night Watch’

Night Watch, Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, The Night Watch, Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Known as the ‘Night Watch’

The Wardens of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild, Known as ‘The Syndics’, The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild, Known as ‘The Syndics’, The Sampling Officials of the Drapers’ Guild, The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild, known as ‘The Syndics’

View of the Amstelveenseweg outside Amsterdam, The Amstelveenseweg Outside of Amsterdam

more by Rembrandt van Rijn

Self-portrait

The Jewish Bride, Isaac and Rebecca, Known as ‘The Jewish Bride’, Portrait of a Couple as Isaac and Rebecca, known as ‘The Jewish Bride’

Self-portrait as the Apostle Paul, Self Portrait as the Apostle Paul

Portrait of a Woman, Possibly Maria Trip

Identification

Title(s)
The Swijgh Utrecht Tower in Amsterdam
Object type
Object number
RP-T-1969-222
Description
The Arquebusiers, who commissioned Rembrandt’s Night Watch, assembled in the two structures at the left in this drawing. The Night Watch hung in the leftmost modern building of the complex from 1642. The nearby medieval city wall tower had a tall pointed roof in Rembrandt’s time. Rembrandt omitted it to showcase the original architecture. He used such old round towers as scenery in his history scenes.
Part of catalogue
Catalogue reference
Schatborn 34

Creation

Creation
draughtsman: Rembrandt van Rijn, Amsterdam
Dating
c. 1650 - c. 1655
Search further with

Material and technique

Physcial description
pen en bruine inkt; kaderlijnen in bruine inkt
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height 166 mm x width 235 mm

This work is about

Subject
Place

Exhibitions

Acquisition and rights

Credit line
Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt
Acquisition
purchase 1969
Ownership
Copyright
Public domain
Provenance
...; sale, Pieter Oets (1720-90, Amsterdam), Amsterdam (Yver et al.), 31 January 1791 sqq., Album G, no. 51 (`Gezigt van den Doelen te Amsterdam, fiks met de Pen, door Rembrant´), with two other drawings; ...; sale, Jonkheer Alfred Montaldo Boreel (1849-1912, The Hague) et al., Amsterdam (F. Muller), 15 (17) June 1908 sqq., no. 488, fl. 50, unsold;{Copy RKD; note RMA.} from whom, fl. 200, to Frits Lugt on behalf of the dealer F. Muller;{Note RMA.} donated by Antonius Wilhelmus Mari Mensing (1866-1936), Amsterdam, to Dr Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), The Hague (L. 561), 1910;{Hofstede de Groot notes, KB.} his sale, Leipzig (C.G. Boerner), 4 November 1931, no. 182, DM 8,400, to the dealer P. Cassirer, Berlin and Amsterdam;{Copy RKD.} ...; collection Dr Hans Wilhelm Christian Tietje (1885-?), Amsterdam, 1932;{Amsterdam 1932, p. 92, no. 304.} ...; collection Franz Wilhelm Koenigs (1881-1941), Haarlem, by 1956;{According to Rotterdam/Amsterdam 1956, pp. 144-45, no. 193.} his daughter, Adelheid Karoline Martha Boerlage née Koenigs (1922-2004), Laren;{Note RMA.} from whom purchased by the museum (L. 2228), with support from the Vereniging Rembrandt and the Prins Bernardfonds, 1969
Remarks
Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

Documentation

Schatborn 34

Persistent URL

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:
https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200117984