For the Dutch TV show, The Secret of the Master, art historian Lisa Wiersma replicated Vermeer’s masterwork, as
well as eight others, in under two years. The show’s goal is to show viewers how legendary
Dutch works were created as exactly as possible, utilising original techniques and even antique
paint ingredients when available.
Wiersma, 36, has taken on the challenge of replicating Rembrandt’s The Night Watch in its full,
original size for the fifth season of the show, which premieres in the Netherlands on January 25.
The result was an intriguing, unique work in which Rembrandt “worked upon each face to make
it pleasant” with extraordinary tenderness, according to Wiersma.
Wiersma also had to face the task of synchronising the work of four other painters in order to
ensure that they all followed Rembrandt’s style.