Did Rembrandt steal a dog?

Tucked beneath the marching feet of Rembrandt’s Night Watch is a curious detail: a small, tense dog, alert, ears perked, caught in the action. Most viewers barely notice it. But art historian Anne Lenders did, and what she uncovered might just rewrite a piece of art history.

Could Rembrandt’s famous dog have been borrowed from another artist? As it turns out, this loyal pup bears a striking resemblance to a dog drawn by Adriaen van de Venne for a book by poet Jacob Cats. Coincidence… or something more?

Together with curator Anne Lenders and restorer Anna Krekeler, we explore how Rembrandt may have taken inspiration from Van de Venne’s sketch and adapted it to fit the dynamic energy of his masterpiece. Learn how the great painter used reference drawings from his vast personal collection, altered poses, and made subtle yet significant changes to bring his version of the dog to life.

We also take a closer look at how copying and reusing imagery was a common artistic practice in the 17th century, and how Rembrandt’s brilliance lay not in copying, but in transforming.