Night at The Palace of Versailles, France

myminifactory

This is a massive stone sculpture created by French artist Jean Raon (1630-1707). The Night, translated from La Nuit in French, is depicted as Venus holding a torch aloft, much like Zeus with his lightning bolt. This work of art is part of the Grande Commande series, commissioned by King Louis XIV in 1674 for the Versailles Gardens. The initial plan was proposed in 1674 and developed by Charles Le Brun into a comprehensive outline for the 24 sculptures. The goal was to showcase God's impact on the world and unite humans with nature through personifications of natural phenomena and landmarks. The 24 sculptures were divided into four groups, each featuring four pieces: Four Times of Day - Morning, Midday, Evening, Night, Four Continents of the World - Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Four Seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Four Elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Four Human Temperaments - The Choleric, The Phlegmatic, The Sanguine, The Melancholic, and Four Poems - The Heroic Poem, The Lyric, The Satirical, The Pastoral. This object is part of the "Scan The World" project. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative by MyMiniFactory that aims to create a digital archive of fully printable 3D sculptures, artworks, and landmarks worldwide for public access at no cost. Scan the World is an open-source community effort. If you have items worth contributing, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how to participate.