Nacht 1667 - 1736

This print, titled “Nacht” or “Night”, was made anonymously using engraving. Here we see the cultural concept of night personified as a muscular male figure in a dark cave, surrounded by nocturnal symbols like owls and bats. This image probably originates from the Low Countries, present-day Belgium and the Netherlands, sometime in the 16th or 17th century. The Northern Renaissance witnessed a surge in allegorical prints like this one, reflecting a society steeped in classical learning and religious symbolism. The use of Latin reinforces this sense of classical authority, as does the idealised male nude, derived from classical sculpture. This print presents a vision of Night as a powerful, even threatening, force. To understand this image more fully, one might consult emblem books and astrological treatises from the period to appreciate what ‘Night’ meant to the people of the time. Art historians can reveal how the image of "Nacht" reflects the worldview of its time.