The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis was originally the largest painting ever created by Rembrandt, in the shape of a lunette, or a vertical rectangle with a round cornice on the top. The painting was originally commissioned by the city of Amsterdam for the town hall. However, the Amsterdam council rejected the painting and returned it to the artist, and it is still unknown as to whether or not he was ever paid for the work. After he received the painting back, Rembrandt cut the canvas down to a quarter of its original size, in order to sell the painting.