The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis

The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis is a 1661-62 oil painting by the Dutch painter Rembrandt, which was originally the largest he ever painted, at around five by five metres in the shape of a lunette. The painting was commissioned by the Amsterdam city council for the Town Hall. After the work had been in place briefly, it was returned to Rembrandt, who may have been never paid. Rembrandt drastically cut down the painting to a quarter of the origi... more

The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis is a 1661-62 oil painting by the Dutch painter Rembrandt, which was originally the largest he ever painted, at around five by five metres in the shape of a lunette. The painting was commissioned by the Amsterdam city council for the Town Hall. After the work had been in place briefly, it was returned to Rembrandt, who may have been never paid. Rembrandt drastically cut down the painting to a quarter of the original size to be sold. It is the last secular history painting he finished. The painting follows Tacitus's Histories in depicting an episode from the Batavian rebellion, led by the one-eyed chieftain Claudius Civilis (actually called Gaius Julius Civilis by Tacitus, except once, and so known to history; but Claudius Civilis has become entrenched in art history), in which he "collected at one of the sacred groves, ostensibly for a banquet, the chiefs of the nation and the boldest spirits of the lower class", convinced them to join his rebellion,... less