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Pricing Rembrandt’s Nachtwacht
In december 1640 Rembrandt was commissioned to paint a group portrait. That portrait, The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, is now known as the Night Watch ('Nachtwacht'). In 1640 Rembrandt was 34 years of age and as he painted a selfportait in the same year as he painted the Nachtwacht, we now exactly what he at the time of receiving the commission for his masterpiece. The painting now is one the prime attractions of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
On Friday September 9th 2011 an episode of the Dutch tv-series '' discussed the costs, price and value of Rembrandt's masterpiece.
Bazuin & de Blécourt has been asked to provided content with regard to the interpretation of the contemporary value of the amount Rembrandt was – most probably - paid for the Nachtwacht; 1600 guilders. Bazuin & de Blécourt was invited to contribute to this tv-production based on earlier research on Rembrandt's business by one of the founders of Bazuin & de Blécourt (1).
Determining the contemporary value of 1600 guilders can be approached from several angles. The first method – also used in the episode of 'De Rekenkamer' – is based on comparing wages and prices of (household) goods with the price for the painting. The earlier conducted research on Rembrandt's business provided us with the possibility of relating the 1600 guilders to the size of Rembrandt's business; to his annual sales level.
Notes
- Ronald Bazuin, Rembrandt B.V.'s revenues, unpublished paper University of Amsterdam 2007.
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