This imposing allegorical representation of Night is the work of the American Neo-classical sculptor Randolph Rogers. Though born in New York, his entire career was spent in Italy, first in Florence, where he was a student of Lorenzo Bartolini, and then in Rome, where he resided for the rest of his life. There he received significant commissions from American collectors, while becoming the first American to be elected an academician at the prestigious Accademia di San Luca.

Night is the earliest surviving sculpture by Rogers, having recently been discovered in a New York collection. Signed and dated in Florence in 1850, it was sent to New York for the artist’s first public exhibition at the National Academy of Design. Night was an extremely ambitious undertaking for the twenty-five-year-old sculptor. It stands out for the contrasts of vigorous passages of vibrant carving—such as the richly detailed hair and folded drapery—with the quiet, idealized forms of the face and nude body.

Even in this first sculpture, Rogers has introduced an element of subtle emotion to his subject. The figure is wistful in expression, her embodiment of the end of the day enhanced by the gentle tilt of her head, suggesting the onset of slumber. Rogers endeavored to imbue every element of the white marble sculpture with suggestions of the coming evening. What at first glance seems to be a crescent moon—the traditional symbol of the goddess Diana—is in fact part of an intricate allegorical tiara. Behind the moon is a low relief of the setting sun, while on either side a row of stars appears.

More Information