Eight restorers are working on the piece in a specially designed glass chamber for the operation's first stage.

After five years of research and preparation, the Rijksmuseum has started the second phase of its public restoration of the Rembrandt van Rijn masterpiece The Night Watch. On Tuesday, a team of eight Rijksmuseum conservators started removing the varnish from the painting.

The second phase of "Operation Night Watch" initiates a landmark restoration of the famed Rembrandt painting at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Following five years of research using techniques such as digital imaging and artificial intelligence, eight restorers will begin "Operation Night Watch" by removing the varnish from the painting - in full view of the public, within the glass-enclosed space in The Night Watch Room.