Artwork
Niagara Falls—Table Rock by Moonlight
Niagara Falls—Table Rock by Moonlight is a watercolor work on paper by the Romanticist artist Pavel Petrovich Svinin. It dates from 1811 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 42.95.38
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1942
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Pavel Petrovich Svinin's 1811 watercolor, Niagara Falls, Table Rock by Moonlight, depicts the iconic waterfall at night, illuminated by moonlight.
Pavel Petrovich Svinin's 1811 watercolor, Niagara Falls, Table Rock by Moonlight, depicts the iconic waterfall at night, illuminated by moonlight. The composition centers on the massive cascade, capturing the natural grandeur of the American landscape. A solitary human figure is included in the scene, providing a sense of scale against the immense power of the water.
The work represents the awe-inspiring force of nature, juxtaposing the eternal flow of the falls with the small, transient presence of humanity under the nocturnal sky.
Technique & Style
Created in 1811, this work utilizes watercolor and gouache applied to white wove paper. The artist employed sgraffito, a technique involving scratching into the paint layer, to achieve specific textural effects within the composition. Measuring 34 by 24.8 cm, the piece depicts a nocturnal scene of a waterfall featuring a human figure.
The combination of opaque gouache with transparent washes allows for a distinct handling of light and shadow appropriate for the moonlit subject matter.
History & Provenance
Niagara Falls, Table Rock by Moonlight is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically within the American Wing. The work, created in 1811 by Pavel Petrovich Svinin, is cataloged as a watercolor, gouache, and sgraffito piece on white wove paper. While the sources confirm its presence in the museum's holdings and provide its physical dimensions of 34 by 24.8 centimeters, they do not list a specific accession number or detail any past or upcoming exhibition history for this piece.
Overview
Created circa 1811, this work by Russian artist Pavel Petrovich Svinin portrays Niagara Falls at night from the Table Rock viewpoint. Executed on white wove paper, the composition combines watercolor, gouache, and a scratched‑through technique to render the moonlit cascade and the diminutive figures perched on the rocks, emphasizing the scale and atmosphere of the scene.
Context
During the early 1800s, interest in travel narratives and exotic landscapes grew within Russian artistic circles. Svinin, also known for embellished travel writings, contributed to this trend by rendering a dramatic foreign vista, aligning his work with contemporary European fascination with the sublime and the expanding visual record of distant locales.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pavel Petrovich Svinyin or Svinin (Russian: Па́вел Петро́вич Свиньи́н; 19 June 1787 – 21 April 1839) was a Russian writer, painter, and editor, known as a "Russian Munchausen" for many exaggerated accounts of his travels.
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