Rembrandt's biggest painting returns to Netherlands

'The Conspiracy of Claudius Civil', the largest and most prestigious painting ever made by Rembrandt van Rijn, will temporarily be on display in the Netherlands, starting March 21st, in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The painting, made in 1661-1662, was initially 5.5 meters wide, and was commissioned by the Amsterdam City Council for the City Hall, the Dam Palace. For reasons unknown, it was returned to the painter, who couldn't resell it because of its size. Rembrandt cut the painting to its current size of approximately 3 meters in width. The painting has belonged to the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts since 1798 and has only left Sweden once before since it was shipped there two and a half centuries ago.