Rembrandt’s 'The Night Watch' (1642) is famous for its colossal size and dramatic use of light, but its name is actually a mistake. For centuries, the painting was covered in a thick layer of dark varnish and soot, leading people to believe it depicted a night scene. When it was cleaned in the 1940s, it was revealed to be a daytime scene. The painting depicts a city guard moving out. A mysterious girl in a yellow dress stands in the light; she is the company’s mascot. The dead chicken hanging from her belt is a pun on the name of the captain (Cocq) and the 'claws' (Kloveniers) of the guild. Rembrandt revolutionized the group portrait by showing the characters in action rather than in a static, formal line.