Christmas Eve (Kerstnacht)
Medium
Lithograph, second state of two
Dimensions
18 11/16 × 12 1/16 in. (47.5 × 30.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, PECO Foundation Gift, 2022
Accession Number
2022.15.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Theodorus van Hoytema’s *Christmas Eve (Kerstnacht)*, created in 1894, captures the quiet magic of the holiday through the artist’s signature lithographic technique. A Dutch printmaker active during the rise of Art Nouveau, van Hoytema was celebrated for his elegant depictions of birds and nature, often drawing inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints. This second-state lithograph showcases his refined line work and decorative sensibility, transforming a seasonal subject into a stylized vision of peacocks, owls, and swans gathered in the winter night. Measuring just under 19 by 12 inches, t...