Night Voyage, from the series, Voyage en Bateau
Medium
Etching; first state of three (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 3 3/4 × 6 1/4 in. (9.5 × 15.9 cm) Sheet: 6 1/2 × 9 3/4 in. (16.5 × 24.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Theodore De Witt, 1923
Accession Number
23.65.65
Tags
Art Historical Context
Charles-François Daubigny, leading figure in the Barbizon school of landscape painting, created *Night Voyage* in 1 as part of his *Voyage en Bateau series. This intimate etching captures the quiet drama of a nocturnal river journey, evoking the serene yet mysterious atmosphere of boats gliding through moonlit waters—a recurring motif in Daubign work. Working along the Seine and Oise rivers from his innovative studio-boat, Daubigny pioneered plein-air techniques that foreshadowed Impressionism, blending realism with poetic light effects. Rendered in the first state of three (as cataloged by D...
About the Artist
Charles-François Daubigny · 1817–1878
Charles-François Daubigny was born on February 15, 1817, in Paris into a family of artists, with his father, Edmé-François Daubigny, a classical landscape painter, and his uncle, Pierre Daubigny, a miniaturist, providing his initial artistic training. He further studied under Jean-Victor Bertin, Jacques Raymond Brascassat, and Paul Delaroche at the École des Beaux-Arts, though he quickly moved bey...