SHORT TAKES : Abused Masterpiece Hung Again

Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” masterpiece will go back on display May 1, less than one month after being sprayed with sulfuric acid by a man believed to be mentally disturbed, officials said today. No extra security will be introduced to protect the painting, despite the fact the April 6 attack was the third against the Rembrandt this century, said a museum spokeswoman.

The 1642 painting will be returned to its customary center spot in the main gallery. A protective veneer layer prevented any damage to the work of art. In 1975, a Dutch schoolmaster claiming to be on a divine mission slashed the painting with a knife. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he committed suicide. During World War I, a jobless shoemaker slashed the canvas to protest his inability to find work.