La Nuit (Night)
1723–1769
Medium
Gouache on paper, pasted onto board
Dimensions
10 3/16 x 7 7/8 in. (25.9 x 20 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Ann Payne Blumenthal, 1943
Accession Number
43.163.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
**La Nuit (Night)** by Pierre Antoine Baudouin1723–1769) captures the playful sensuality of 18th-century French Roc art. This intimate gouache depicts an allegorical night scene featuring lovers, couples, men, and women entwined in tender embraces, accompanied by mischievous putti—those cherubic figures symbolizing love and mischief. Created during the lavish era of Louis XV, when Rococo celebrated pleasure, fantasy, and eroticism, Baudouin's work reflects the influence of his mentor François Boucher, blending delicate forms with a dreamlike nocturnal atmosphere. Rendered in gouache on paper ...
About the Artist
Pierre Antoine Baudouin · 1723–1769
Comment on works: Genre; History; Allegory