Though Rembrandt didn't shy away from experimentation, the use of a lead-based layer has never been seen before among his works or those of his contemporaries.
Six of the objects, coming from the Rijksmuseum, mark the institution's first repatriation of colonial artifacts.
Last year, the painting was acquired with aid from the government for €175 million ($191.3 million).
The sold-out show featured 28 works by the Dutch painter.
The retired curator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington compares his Vermeer exhibition with the current one in Amsterdam.
The museum said that ticket sales for the show were ceasing until further notice.
The Extinction Rebellion youth activists protested the Rijksmuseum's ongoing partnerships with KLM and ING.
Here's what we're reading this morning.
The show is the largest Vermeer exhibition ever staged.