Artwork
Schloss Milkel in Moonlight
Schloss Milkel in Moonlight is an oil painting by the German Romanticist artist Carl Gustav Carus. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Its surface consists of oil pigment applied to a stretched canvas support, a material noted in the catalog entry.
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 28.5 cm by 21.5 cm and dated 1834. Its surface consists of oil pigment applied to a stretched canvas support, a material noted in the catalog entry. The composition portrays a nocturnal landscape that includes a garden, a house, a tree, a crescent Moon, clouds and moonlight, rendering the scene with a soft, diffused illumination.
The handling of light emphasizes the moon’s glow across the foliage and architecture, creating a tranquil, atmospheric effect typical of Carus’s early Romantic landscapes.
History & Provenance
Carl Gustav Carus created the oil painting Schloss Milkel in Moonlight in 1834. Executed on canvas, the work measures 28.5 centimeters in height and 21.5 centimeters in width. The painting depicts a nocturnal garden scene featuring a house, trees, clouds, and moonlight.
Current records indicate the artwork is held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The specific commission details and the full chain of ownership prior to its arrival at the museum are not detailed in the available records, though the creation date is consistently established as 1834.
Overview
Schloss Milkel in Moonlight is an oil painting that captures a nocturnal landscape. The composition centers on a large, shadowed house, partially illuminated by a low-hanging moon. Bare trees with intricate branches frame the structure, contributing to the scene's quiet and somewhat mysterious atmosphere.
The artist employs a deep blue palette for the sky, contrasting with the subtle glow emanating from a single window.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a secluded night scene, where a substantial house, likely Schloss Milkel, stands mostly in darkness. Its form is partially obscured by the stark, leafless branches of foreground trees, which twist across the canvas. A solitary, warm light from one window offers a focal point, suggesting human presence within the otherwise shadowed edifice. The pale moon and deep blue sky emphasize the stillness and solitude of the nocturnal setting.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Carl Gustav Carus (3 January 1789 – 28 July 1869) was a German physiologist and painter, born in Leipzig, who played various roles during the Romantic era.
