What colour was the dog in the Night Watch originally? The paint is now blanched and whitish.

What we know is that Rembrandt used a calcium-based paint. That element is clearly visible in the macro-XRF images. Based on Gerrit Lundens’ copy of the painting, it was thought that the calcium-containing highlights in Rembrandt’s dog must have been yellowish that possibly became discoloured over time. But researchers are now questioning this idea.

Research now suggests that Rembrandt painted the dog in a beige-colored paint containing chalk, of which calcium is the main component. The paint samples from the dog are currently being examined to shed more light on this. ​