Allegory Of Night 1859

Jean-Léon Gérôme's "Allegory of Night" (1859) depicts three cherubs amidst a star-filled night sky. One cherub holds aloft a crescent moon, another carries a torch, and the third carefully tends a small flame. This whimsical, neoclassical composition exemplifies Gérôme's mastery of detail and use of symbolism. The cherubs, representing the transition from day to night, are rendered with meticulous realism, adding to the ethereal and otherworldly feel of the painting. The image serves as a symbolic representation of the passage of time and the transition from light to darkness.