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| Henry Pether (British 1800-1880) - Fishing and Other Vessels on a Moonlit Estuary |
Sunday, October 3, 2021
Ferdinand Knab - A Woman at a Fountain with Rising Moon, 1866
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| Ferdinand Knab - A Woman at a Fountain with Rising Moon, 1866 |
Donato Creti - Astronomical Observations: Moon, 1711
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| Donato Creti - Astronomical Observations: Moon, 1711 |
The series of Astronomical observations was commissioned in 1711 by the Bolognese count Luigi Marsili. He had the artist Donato Creti paint all the planets in as many small pictures and made a gift of these to the Pope to convince him of the importance for the Holy Church of an astronomical observatory. The gift made it possible to achieve his goal, because with the support of Clement XI (pontiff from 1700 to 1721) the first public astronomical observatory was opened in Bologna a short time later. The eight small canvases show the planetary system as it was then known: the Sun (cat.40432), the Moon (cat.40433), Mercury (cat.40434), Venus (cat.40435), Mars (cat.40436), Jupiter (cat.40437), Saturn (cat.40438) and a Comet (cat.40439). The planet Uranus, only discovered in 1781, is missing.
The presence of the planets is dominant in the composition. They are depicted as observed with telescopes and various optical instruments (for which the artist had precise instructions) by small human figures in eighteenth century clothes, reabsorbed into the vastness of the nocturnal scene.
Carl Gustav Carus - View of the Colosseum by Night, 1830-32
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| Carl Gustav Carus - View of the Colosseum by Night, 1830-32 |
Carus was close to Caspar David Friedrich and painted the same Romantic subjects: ruins, mountains, and moonlit nights. But for Carus such themes were an opportunity to admire the beauty of the world more than an occasion for profound contemplation; his paintings tend to delight the eye rather than induce thoughtfulness. The present painting was inspired by the artist's impressions gained on a journey around Italy in 1828.
Aelbert Cuyp - Dordrecht harbor by moonlight. c. 1643-45
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| Aelbert Cuyp - Dordrecht harbor by moonlight. c. 1643-45 |
This romantic painting depicts a moonlit river landscape with two sailing boats, Typically Dutch flat-bottom ships used for transport on rivers, canals and lakes. Lit by the moon a windmill stands by the river, acting as a beacon in the flat landscape. The panel is one of a handful of nocturnal scenes executed by Cuyp.
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