Pier Francesco Mola - Diane and Endymion, 1660

Pier Francesco Mola - Diane and Endymion, 1660
oil on canvas, 1170 x 1480 cm
Capitoline Museums, Rome

Ye Guang - Fisherman viewing the moon, ca. 1600

 

Ye Guang - Fisherman viewing the moon, ca. 1600
hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
146.1 × 74.9 cm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

By the banks of a river, two men in moored fishing boats gaze at the moon. Their rumpled robes and unkempt hair indicate their separation from the ambitions of public service, just as their rapt focus on the moon suggests their connection to nature. Of the few surviving paintings from the hand of the late-Ming painter Ye Guang, most are romantic images of fishermen, so it is likely that he specialized in the genre.

Aert van der Neer (1632-1677) - Landscape by Moonlight

 

Aert van der Neer (1632-1677) - Landscape by Moonlight
oil on canvas, 52.5 cm (20.6 in) x 73.5 cm (28.9 in)
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp

Anthonie Van Borssum (Dutch, 1630 - 1677) - A Moonlit River Landscape, 1645

 

Anthonie Van Borssum (Dutch, 1630 - 1677) - A Moonlit River Landscape, 1645

Aert van der Neer - A moonlit landscape, with an inn beside a river

 

Aert van der Neer - A moonlit landscape, with an inn beside a river
oil on canvas, 56.5 x 74.3 cm

Aert van der Neer - River Landscape by Moonlight with Boats & Settlements, circa 1660

 

Aert van der Neer - River Landscape by Moonlight with Boats & Settlements, circa 1660
oil on oak wood, 37.4 cm x 49.8 cm
Private collection

Aert van der Neer - Fishing at Moonlight, first half of 17th century

 

Aert van der Neer - Fishing at Moonlight, first half of 17th century 
oil on canvas, 66.5 cm (26.1 in) x 86.5 cm (34 in)
Kunsthistorisches Museum 

Anthonie Waterloo (Dutch, 1609–1690) - Landscape by Moonlight, ca 1676

 

Anthonie Waterloo (Dutch, 1609–1690) - Landscape by Moonlight, ca 1676
25.8 x 18 cm, Black chalk and brush and black ink with gray and grayish black wash heightened with white, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Anthonie Waterloo, a productive topographical draftsman, sketched the landscape in and around his native Utrecht. He also travelled west to Brussels and east to northern Germany, and as far as Gdańsk. This drawing recalls the countryside on Holland’s eastern border as well as the wooded area around Brussels. Waterloo made many drawings of these areas, often in black chalk and gray wash heightened with white. His darkly shaded wooded views nicely capture contrasting light in the voids. The strip of paper seamed to the lower edge is the artist’s own addition. Waterloo has recycled a fragment of one of his letters, for the reverse bears his penmanship.

Rama and Lakshmana on Mount Pavarasana Folio from the Shangri Ramayana series (Style II) ca. 1690–1710 India. Punjab Hills, kingdom of Jammu (Bahu)

 

Rama and Lakshmana on Mount Pavarasana Folio from the Shangri Ramayana series (Style II) ca. 1690–1710  India. Punjab Hills, kingdom of Jammu (Bahu)

Rama is shown with his brother at the summit of Mount Pavarasana passing a sleepless night after searching in vain for his wife, Sita, who has been abducted by the demon Ravana. Her fate is as yet unknown to Rama,so his fear has not yet turned to anger. The Ramayana emphasizes the vast territory they have covered and the desperate nature of their search, suggested by the featureless expanse leading to the curving horizon, marked by a silver moon. This painting belongs to the Shangri Ramayana series, which is associated with a number of Punjab court styles, suggesting that it was the product of itinerant artists who worked for a number of patrons in the region. This folio is most closely associated with the atelier at Mandi, known for its simple but compelling compositions.

Jan Steen - Night Serenade, 1675

 

Jan Steen - Night Serenade, 1675

Aert van der Neer - A Moonlit Landscape with Ruins, 1670

 

Aert van der Neer - A Moonlit Landscape with Ruins, 1670

Aert van der Neer - A Canal by Moonlight, 1660

Aert van der Neer - A Canal by Moonlight, 1660

Aert van der Neer - Night Landscape with a River, c. 1650

 

 Aert van der Neer - Night Landscape with a River, c. 1650

Ruknuddin - Folio from a ragamala series (Garland of Musical Modes) ca. 1690–95

 

Ruknuddin - Folio from a ragamala series (Garland of Musical Modes) ca. 1690–95  

The artist Ruknuddin has combined creatively a number of ragamala texts to make this evocative masterpiece. Following artistic precedent and the texts, he shows an ascetic “in penance, adorned, gray [with ashes]” listening to a disciple, who is described as “a young man beauteous in every limb,” playing the rudra vina. Another ragamala text tells us the disciple is “an ascetic, whose mind is drowned in meditation on Shiva . . . crowned by the white moon.”

Aert van der Neer - A wide river landscape with four cows, 1677

 

Aert van der Neer - A wide river landscape with four cows, 1677
Oil on oak panel, 26 x 25 cm
Private collection

Aelbert Cuyp - Dordrecht harbor by moonlight. c. 1643-45

 

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.

Aert van der Neer - Moonlit Landscape with a View of the New Amstel River and Castle Kostverloren, 1647

 

Aert van der Neer - Moonlit Landscape with a View of the New Amstel River and Castle Kostverloren, 1647

Galileo Galilei - Two Drawings of Waxing Moon, in Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry Messenger), 1610

 

Galileo Galilei - Two Drawings of Waxing Moon, in Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry Messenger), 1610

Radha at night, 1650

 

Radha at night, 1650

Radha (Sanskrit: राधा, IAST: Rādhā), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and a consort of the god Krishna. She is worshipped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion and devotion. Radha is sometimes considered as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi as in the Nimbarka Sampradaya and by some, as the feminine form of Krishna himself. Radha is considered as a metaphor for the human spirit (atma), her love and longing for Krishna is theologically viewed as symbolic of the human quest for spiritual growth and union with the divine (brahman). She has inspired numerous literary works, and her Rasa lila dance with Krishna has inspired many types of performance arts. via

Adam Elsheimer - The Flight into Egypt, 1609

 

Adam Elsheimer - The Flight into Egypt, 1609

Flight into Egypt is thought to be the first naturalistic rendering of the night sky in Renaissance art. Elsheimer's treatment is unique in placing the Holy Family in a nocturnal setting, true to the biblical description. The darkness creates opposing feelings of intimacy and fear of the unknown. The painting channels the mysteries of night, pondered by humans for centuries, into this moment of the Holy Family seeking refuge. 

There are four sources of light in the painting: the Moon is accurately depicted and reflects off the calm water. There is a fire near the shepherds at left, where the family is headed. At the centre of the composition, Joseph holds a torch that illuminates Mary and the infant, who are riding an ass. The heavily treed landscape behind them is almost black, its outline forming a diagonal across the sky and completely containing the foreground figures. The diagonal is echoed in the night sky by the intricate band of the Milky Way, and detailed configurations of stars are seen, including Ursa Major at far left. Elsheimer is thought to be the first painter to accurately depict constellations. via