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Moderator : Welcome to our symposium . What this panel will examine today is Operation Night Watch , the most extensive research and conservation project ever undertaken on Rembrandt's masterpiece at the Rijksmuseum . We are joined by lead researchers Pieter and Maria . Rarely have art conservators dared to study a canvas of this scale in full public view . Pieter , what the team discovered regarding the chemical layers was entirely unexpected , was it not ? Pieter : It certainly was . We ought to have anticipated some structural surprises , but anticipate them we did not . What our elemental scans revealed was a lead - rich layer beneath the traditional quartz - clay ground . Rembrandt applied this lead layer to protect the canvas from dampness , and a brilliant innovation that was . Previous generations of restorers might have suspected he used unique sealants , but prove it they could not . Moderator : And Maria , not only did the team identify this lead layer , but you also uncovered a hidden preliminary sketch , correct ? Maria : Exactly . Little did we know that Rembrandt had initially planned a different arrangement . He originally sketched feathers on one of the militiamen's helmets , yet he subsequently painted over them . Some critics argue he dared not complicate the central composition any further , and I suspect they are right . What the calcium maps show is that the artist constantly revised his own work on the easel . We needn't have worried that museum visitors would find this technical research tedious . Moderator : It is the transparency of this project that truly engages the public . What would you say to future conservators facing similar challenges ? Pieter : I would tell them they need not hide their methodology behind closed doors . We ought to invite the public into the laboratory more often . Do you think other international museums will adopt this transparent approach , Maria ? Maria : I sincerely hope so . Moderator : As do we . But what about you , the readers of this transcript ? Have you ever observed art conservators at work in a museum ? If you could speak with the researchers inside the glass chamber , what would you ask them ?
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