A Night Robbery

1769

Friedrich Müller

Associated Names
Friedrich Müller

Artist, German, 1749 - 1825

The image shows a head-on view of a rocky landscape at night under a glowing moon. The horizon is not clearly defined, focusing instead on the textures of the rocks and trees. Animals are gathered around figures, likely shepherds. The artwork uses detailed cross-hatching and stippling to depict shadows and textures. The color palette is monochromatic, with black, white, and grey contrasting the moonlit night setting. The artwork includes brushstrokes and etchings to represent trees and shadows on the rocks. The moon is prominently featured in the upper right corner, illuminating the scene.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 32.3 × 43 cm (12 11/16 × 16 15/16 in.) (trimmed to plate mark)

  • Accession Number

    2012.92.569


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Dr. Markus Nass Kunsthandel, Berlin); Ruth Kainen, Washington, D.C., purchased January 30, 2002; Gift to NGA, 2012.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2014

  • Modern German Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2014.

Inscriptions

below image, at left: Frid: Müller inv. et fec: 1769; on verso, at bottom right, in graphite: 99024

Wikidata ID

Q76557204

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