9 Inches High x 9 Inches Wide x .75 Inches Deep
Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) created the pair of reliefs called Morning (or Day) and Night. They were widely reproduced during his lifetime in different sizes and materials, as cameos, and as decoration on other objects. The personification of Day and the boy with the torch bring light in the form of morning. Day sprinkles flowers and is full of energy, unlike the personification of Night, who floats quietly with two children (possibly Sleep and Death) in her arms. The three figures’ eyes are closed and Night has poppies in her hair, which induce sleep. An owl flies nearby. The Caproni Collection offers both reliefs in several sizes.
Artist: Bertel Thorvaldsen
Museum: Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen
Time Period: Neoclassical, 1815
1911 Catalog ID # – 10036
Sources:
“Explore the Collections” feature. Thorvaldsens Museum. Inventory numbers A901, A905, and A369. http:///details/thorvaldsenhisl00thorgoog.