Moonlit Landscape
Medium
cliché-verre
Dimensions
plate: 16.6 x 20 cm (6 9/16 x 7 7/8 in.) sheet: 16.8 x 20.1 cm (6 5/8 x 7 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Gaillard F. Ravenel and Frances P. Smyth-Ravenel
Accession Number
2000.7.12
Art Historical Context
**Moonlit Landscape** (1862) by Charles Daubigny captures the serene beauty of a nocturnal riverside scene, a hallmark of this French artist's lifelong fascination with nature. Daubigny, a leading figure in the Barbizon—a precursor to Impressionism— painted en plein air along the Oise River near Paris, emphasizing light, atmosphere, and unidealized landscapes. This intimate print evokes the quiet magic of moonlight on water and foliage, reflecting his poetic sensitivity to the changing moods of the natural world. The work's medium, *cliché-verre*, is particularly noteworthy. This experimental...
About the Artist
Charles-François Daubigny · 1817–1878
Charles-François Daubigny was born on February 15, 1817, in Paris into a family of artists, with his father, Edmé-François Daubigny, a classical landscape painter, and his uncle, Pierre Daubigny, a miniaturist, providing his initial artistic training. He further studied under Jean-Victor Bertin, Jacques Raymond Brascassat, and Paul Delaroche at the École des Beaux-Arts, though he quickly moved bey...