One of the painters commissioned to make a ‘batavian’ painting for the new amsterdam town hall was rembrandt van rijn (1606-69). Rembrandt chose the moment of the oath of the batavians in the sacred grove, as described by tacitus, histories iv, 14. Civilis, with crown and sword, is the main protagonist of the composition. Unlike his fellow painters, rembrandt decided to depict civilis with one blind eye, as some of the sources had described his appearance. In 1662 it was reportedly on display at the town hall, but shortly afterwards, it was removed from the building. The painting, originally measuring more than 5 by 5 metres, was reduced to about 2 by 3 metres, which incidentally makes civilis`s blind eye more clearly visible. Object Type: painting. Genre: history painting. Date: between 1661 and 1662. Dimensions: height: 196 cm (77.1 in); width: 309 cm (10.1 ft). Medium: oil on canvas. Depicted People: Gaius Julius Civilis. Collection: Nationalmuseum. The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis by Rembrandt van Rijn
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