Niagara Falls—Canadian Side by Moonlight

A broad waterfall spills across a horizontal ledge under a moonlit sky, framed by a leaning tree whose twisted branches arch over dark rock in the foreground. Below, a river runs past boulders toward the viewer, and a small tree stands near its banks. The monochrome tones and scratched highlights suggest moonlight.

Look closer: A small tree and its reflection sit on the river bank near the lower center.

Artist

Pavel Petrovich Svinin

Date

1811–ca. 1813

Medium

Watercolor, transparent coating, and sgraffito on white wove paper

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1476 × 2107 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1942