Imago noctis

For the first time in scholarly art history we can offer now a systematical overview on the representation of night in her manifold appearances and manifestations, attributes and connections covering the time from the Ancient Orient, the Greek, the Roman World Empire, Early Christian, Middle Ages and Renaissance up to the Baroque. Intended is a sequel from the Enlightenment and the Romantic Movement up to modern times. Despite arranging the subject-matter in historical sections according to their chronological order it was necessary to take a not one-sided approach and to cope with thorough studies of single phenomenons. Therefore, viewpoints from many neighbour fields influenced interpretation and analysis. Far beyond their aesthetical function representations of night are linked as well as to literature as to religious, philosophical, astrological and theological ideas, e.g. night ranked in ancient times as the very - feminine - origin of entity which from arose the masculine day. Various like her appearances are also her colours. The Baroque era did not connect the night with black or blue as earlier periods did but with brown instead. Night may show herself as personification o