At what point in time did the Rembrandt Research Project star ?
The nature of the media meant that it was possible for Rembrandt to make continuous alterations ( which he did over a ten year period ) , adding further etching and dry point , changing the composition of the picture and making the final image darker and more chaotic : In the last stage , the Virgin Mary has become an almost disembodied head surrounded by darkness , and the figures that originally encircled her have , in consequence , been removed , as have been some of the soldiers on horseback .