Night

Night

Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-87)

c. 1870

Cast terracotta

According to the museum label, "Carrier-Belleuse's cast terracottas reflect a taste for the medium that dates back to the 1770s, Although made in moulds, his figures were carefully worked over before being fired. This makes them appear freshly modelled, unlike similar figres in biscuit (ungazed) porcelain. By represening Night as a semi-nude female figure, Carrier-Belleuse was following a tradition going back to Michelangelo."

Photograph by George P. Landow

Courtesy Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Acquisition no. A13-1968