La nuit

Art Historical Context

**La Nuit** (*The Night*), an exquisite etching and engraving from around 1726–1750, was crafted by Emmanuel Jean Nepomucène de Ghendt after a design by the Rococo painter Pierre-Antoine Baudouin. Housed in the National Gallery Art's Widener Collection this print captures the playful elegance of 18th-century French art. Baudouin, a master of decorative and often sensual scenes, likely depicted Night as an allegorical figure—perhaps a graceful woman evoking mystery and repose amid soft shadows and swirling drapery, hallmarks of the Rococo style's ornate whimsy. Printmaking techniques like etch...