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Descending Night

Adolph Alexander Weinman American, born Germany
Founder Cast by Roman Bronze Works
ca. 1914, cast by 1917
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 770
The impending arrival of night is personified by a nude in a sinuous pose, holding her hair away from her face to reveal a downcast countenance. A crescent moon and stars surround her feet. Descending Night is the pendant to Weinman’s Rising Day, a winged male figure in an upward-soaring pose. Monumental versions of the works adorned outdoor fountains at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, held in San Francisco. Known reductions vary significantly in surface color.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Descending Night
  • Artist: Adolph Alexander Weinman (American (born Germany), Karlsruhe 1870–1952 New York)
  • Founder: Cast by Roman Bronze Works
  • Date: ca. 1914, cast by 1917
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 26 x 22 1/4 x 11 in. (66 x 56.5 x 27.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Morris K. Jesup Fund, 1994
  • Object Number: 1994.501
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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