
Read the visual description
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.
National Gallery of Art · Print
A Night Robbery
Friedrich Müller
- Date
- 1769
- Medium
- etching on wove paper
- Dimensions
- sheet: 32.3 × 43 cm (12 11/16 × 16 15/16 in.) (trimmed to plate mark)
- Classification
- Accession number
- 2012.92.569
- Credit line
- Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen
- Time span
- 1751 to 1775
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- Horse
- Moon
- Rock
- Nature
- Figures
Provenance
(Dr. Markus Nass Kunsthandel, Berlin); Ruth Kainen, Washington, D.C., purchased January 30, 2002; Gift to NGA, 2012.
Inscription
below image, at left: Frid: Müller inv. et fec: 1769; on verso, at bottom right, in graphite: 99024
NGA object ID 153992. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.