A steamy sketch from more than three centuries ago has earned the "explicit" tag by the auction house selling it.

The sketch is being sold by international auction house Christie's and is expected to sell for around half a million dollars or GBP 250,000-400,000 (USD 313,748–501,998).

<h2>'The French Bed'</h2>

The etching in question is titled "The French Bed" and was drawn by Dutch Painter Rembrandt around 350 years ago in 1646. To view it online on Christie's website, users have to click past an "explicit content" warning.

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It is part of a collection named "Old Masters I" that goes on auction on Thursday (Dec 7).

<h2>What is explicit about the etching?</h2>

"The French Bed"&nbsp;or Het Ledikant is a monochrome picture, hidden away behind the sign "EXPLICIT CONTENT. This lot contains explicit material and mature subject matter," on Christie's website.

You can see it here:

<img alt="Rembrandt " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1d569f9d-b241-4226-b3a3-aef49e5f7f77" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/New%20wion%20-%202023-12-07T115254.807.jpg" />

(Image credit: Christie's website)

It depicts a man and a woman on a four-poster bed passionately engaged in lovemaking. The couple is depicted to be semi-clothed and amorous.&nbsp;

"They seem to have just tumbled onto the bed, with the trousers and skirts off, but shirts still on."

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Christie describes the Rembrandt piece as "one of a small number of explicitly erotic prints" by the Dutch painter.

"The delicately named ‘French Bed’ is one of a small number of explicitly erotic prints by Rembrandt, and one of the rarest etchings in his entire oeuvre."

They further write that the woman looks at her lover with a smile, and "the perplexing fact that she has three arms and hands adds to the vivacity of the scene."

However, the auction house goes on to say that the painting isn't "crass or obscene".

"It is to Rembrandt’s credit—and very much in line with his humane and slightly subversive character – that he did not try to classicise, moralise or otherwise elevate his print. Nor is it in any way crass or obscene, and that's makes this etching so charming and light-hearted: they are just two young people having a good time together."

(With inputs from agencies)

A steamy sketch from more than three centuries ago has earned the "explicit" tag by the auction house selling it. The sketch is being sold by international auction house Christie's and is expected to sell for around half a million dollars or GBP 250,000-400,000 (USD 313,748–501,998).

A steamy sketch from more than three centuries ago has earned the "explicit" tag by the auction house selling it. The sketch is being sold by international auction house Christie's and is expected to sell for around half a million dollars or GBP 250,000-400,000 (USD 313,748–501,998). 'The French Bed' The etching in question is titled "The French Bed" and was drawn by Dutch Painter Rembrandt around 350 years ago in 1646. To view it online on Christie's website, users have to click past an "explicit content" warning. Also read | Boris Johnson's apologies over COVID-19 pandemic handling met with signs of 'dead can't hear'. Watch! It is part of a collection named "Old Masters I" that goes on auction on Thursday (Dec 7). What is explicit about the etching? "The French Bed" or Het Ledikant is a monochrome picture, hidden away behind the sign "EXPLICIT CONTENT. This lot contains explicit material and mature subject matter," on Christie's website. You can see it here: (Image credit: Christie's website) It depicts a man and a woman on a four-poster bed passionately engaged in lovemaking. The couple is depicted to be semi-clothed and amorous. "They seem to have just tumbled onto the bed, with the trousers and skirts off, but shirts still on." Also read | Moo-d boosting therapy: This farm offers relaxation through unique cow cuddling sessions Christie describes the Rembrandt piece as "one of a small number of explicitly erotic prints" by the Dutch painter. "The delicately named ‘French Bed’ is one of a small number of explicitly erotic prints by Rembrandt, and one of the rarest etchings in his entire oeuvre." They further write that the woman looks at her lover with a smile, and "the perplexing fact that she has three arms and hands adds to the vivacity of the scene." However, the auction house goes on to say that the painting isn't "crass or obscene". "It is to Rembrandt’s credit—and very much in line with his humane and slightly subversive character – that he did not try to classicise, moralise or otherwise elevate his print. Nor is it in any way crass or obscene, and that's makes this etching so charming and light-hearted: they are just two young people having a good time together." (With inputs from agencies)

350-year-old steamy, 'explicit' sketch expected to sell for half-a-million dollars

Rembrandt's famed "The Night Watch" is back on display for the first time in 300 years,&nbsp;with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence.

Rembrandt&nbsp;finished the large canvas, which portrays the captain of an Amsterdam city militia ordering his men into action, in 1642.

Although it is now considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age, strips were cut from all four sides of it during a move in 1715.

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Though those strips have not been found, another artist of the time had made a copy, and restorers and computer scientists have used that, blended with&nbsp;Rembrandt's style, to recreate the missing parts.

"It's never the real thing, but I think it gives you different insight into the composition," Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits said.

The effect is a little like seeing a photo cropped as the photographer would have wanted.

The central figure in the painting, Captain Frans Bannink Cocq, now appears more off-centre, as he was in&nbsp;Rembrandt's original version, making the work more dynamic.

Some of the figure of a drummer entering the frame on the far right has been restored, as he marches onto the scene, prompting a dog to bark.

Three restored figures that had been missing on the left, not highly detailed, are onlookers, not members of the militia. That was an effect&nbsp;Rembrandt&nbsp;intended, Dibbits said, to draw the viewer into the painting.

Rijksmuseum Senior Scientist Robert Erdmann explained some of the steps in crafting the missing parts, which are hung to overlap the original work without touching it.

The museum always knew the original, uncut, painting was bigger, in part thanks to a far smaller copy painted at the same time that is attributed to Gerrit Lundens.

Researchers and restorers who have painstakingly pored over the work for nearly two years using a battery of high tech scanners, X-rays and digital photography combined the vast amount of data they generated with the Lundens copy to recreate and print the missing strips.

“We made an incredibly detailed photo of the Night Watch and through artificial intelligence or what they call a neural network, we taught the computer what color Rembrandt used in the Night Watch, which colors, what his brush strokes looked like,” Dibbits said.

The machine learning also enabled the museum to remove distortions in perspective that are present in the Lundens copy because the artist was sitting at one corner while he painted Rembrandt’s painting.

The reason the 1642 group portrait of an Amsterdam civil militia was trimmed is simple: It was moved from the militia’s club house to the town hall and there it didn’t fit on a wall between two doors. A bit of very analog cropping with a pair of scissors ensued and the painting took on the dimensions that have now been known for centuries. The fate of the pieces of canvas that were trimmed off remains a mystery.

Under relaxations of the Dutch COVID-19 lockdown, the museum can welcome more visitors from this weekend, but still only about half of its normal capacity.

During the restoration project, the painting was encased in a specially designed glass room and studied in unprecedented detail from canvas to the final layer of varnish.

Among that mound of data, researchers created the most detailed photograph ever made of the painting by combining 528 digital exposures.

The 1642 painting last underwent significant restoration more than 40 years ago after it was slashed by a knife-wielding man and is starting to show blanching in parts of the canvas.

Dibbits said the new printed additions are not intended to trick visitors into thinking the painting is bigger, but to give them a clear idea of what it was supposed to look like.

“Rembrandt would have definitely done it more beautifully, but this comes very close,” he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Rembrandt's famed "The Night Watch" is back on display for the first time in 300 years, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence.

Rembrandt's famed "The Night Watch" is back on display for the first time in 300 years, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence. Rembrandt finished the large canvas, which portrays the captain of an Amsterdam city militia ordering his men into action, in 1642. Although it is now considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age, strips were cut from all four sides of it during a move in 1715. Also see| World’s most famous stolen paintings that have never been found! Though those strips have not been found, another artist of the time had made a copy, and restorers and computer scientists have used that, blended with Rembrandt's style, to recreate the missing parts. "It's never the real thing, but I think it gives you different insight into the composition," Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits said. The effect is a little like seeing a photo cropped as the photographer would have wanted. The central figure in the painting, Captain Frans Bannink Cocq, now appears more off-centre, as he was in Rembrandt's original version, making the work more dynamic. Some of the figure of a drummer entering the frame on the far right has been restored, as he marches onto the scene, prompting a dog to bark. Three restored figures that had been missing on the left, not highly detailed, are onlookers, not members of the militia. That was an effect Rembrandt intended, Dibbits said, to draw the viewer into the painting. Rijksmuseum Senior Scientist Robert Erdmann explained some of the steps in crafting the missing parts, which are hung to overlap the original work without touching it. The museum always knew the original, uncut, painting was bigger, in part thanks to a far smaller copy painted at the same time that is attributed to Gerrit Lundens. Researchers and restorers who have painstakingly pored over the work for nearly two years using a battery of high tech scanners, X-rays and digital photography combined the vast amount of data they generated with the Lundens copy to recreate and print the missing strips. “We made an incredibly detailed photo of the Night Watch and through artificial intelligence or what they call a neural network, we taught the computer what color Rembrandt used in the Night Watch, which colors, what his brush strokes looked like,” Dibbits said. The machine learning also enabled the museum to remove distortions in perspective that are present in the Lundens copy because the artist was sitting at one corner while he painted Rembrandt’s painting. The reason the 1642 group portrait of an Amsterdam civil militia was trimmed is simple: It was moved from the militia’s club house to the town hall and there it didn’t fit on a wall between two doors. A bit of very analog cropping with a pair of scissors ensued and the painting took on the dimensions that have now been known for centuries. The fate of the pieces of canvas that were trimmed off remains a mystery. Under relaxations of the Dutch COVID-19 lockdown, the museum can welcome more visitors from this weekend, but still only about half of its normal capacity. During the restoration project, the painting was encased in a specially designed glass room and studied in unprecedented detail from canvas to the final layer of varnish. Among that mound of data, researchers created the most detailed photograph ever made of the painting by combining 528 digital exposures. The 1642 painting last underwent significant restoration more than 40 years ago after it was slashed by a knife-wielding man and is starting to show blanching in parts of the canvas. Dibbits said the new printed additions are not intended to trick visitors into thinking the painting is bigger, but to give them a clear idea of what it was supposed to look like. “Rembrandt would have definitely done it more beautifully, but this comes very close,” he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Missing figures of Rembrandt's 'Night Watch' restored by artificial intelligence

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350-year-old steamy, 'explicit' sketch expected to sell for half-a-million dollars

Missing figures of Rembrandt's 'Night Watch' restored by artificial intelligence