L'Heure du Matin, from a set of the hours of the day
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1902-19-1
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**L'Heure du Matin (The Hour of Morning)**, created by French engraver Antoine Aveline in 1740, captures the elegance of 18th-century Rococo artistry. Aveline (1691–1743), renowned for his precise reproductive prints after leading painters, contributed to a vibrant printmaking tradition that made high art accessible beyond elite patrons. This work hails from a series depicting the "hours of the day," a popular motif symbolizing daily rhythms through allegorical figures and serene landscapes, reflecting the era's fascination with time, nature, and refined leisure. As a print, likely an engravi...