{"product_id":"the-times-of-the-day-night-s-rest-by-alphonse-mucha-1899","title":"The Times of the Day: Night’s Rest by Alphonse Mucha, 1899","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlphonse Mucha’s \u003cem\u003eThe Times of the Day – Night’s Rest\u003c\/em\u003e, created in 1899, presents sleep as an elegant female allegory enclosed within an ornate, Gothic-window-like frame. The reclining woman rests her head upon folded arms, her pale gown settling around her in long, softly articulated folds. Behind her, a wintry landscape recedes into dusky blue and subdued green, while floral ornament climbs the narrow borders. Figure, season and setting combine to create a nocturnal scene that feels hushed rather than dark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe panel belongs to a four-part lithographic series devoted to morning, day, evening and night, each moment embodied by a graceful female figure. This union of the human form with natural cycles is characteristic of Mucha’s decorative imagination. One of the defining artists of European Art Nouveau, he developed a distinctive visual language of sinuous contours, abundant botanical motifs and carefully integrated lettering. Here, those elements serve no commercial narrative: they transform an hour of the day into a self-contained poetic mood, shaped by the decorative richness of the Belle Époque.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eA closer look\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition is unusually intimate. Mucha places the woman slightly off-centre, allowing the curve of her body and the sweep of her drapery to interrupt the panel’s strict verticality. Her flowing hair echoes the fabric beneath her, creating a succession of soft lines around the face and shoulders. Gentle highlights pick out her features and the upper folds of the gown, while the surrounding browns and cool greens remain muted. The effect is one of gradual visual quietening, as though the colour itself were settling towards sleep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond the figure, faint trees and bare branches emerge through a pale, atmospheric distance. The suggestion of a moon in the upper background introduces a cool point of light, but the landscape is deliberately restrained: it functions less as a fully described place than as a winter counterpart to the woman’s repose. Slight tonal variations imply depth without breaking the shallow, decorative space that is central to the design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe border rewards equally close attention. Intertwined floral forms rise along the sides and gather around the upper corners, where pointed shapes reinforce the resemblance to Gothic tracery. Darker brown inner bands separate this elaborate framework from the softer scene within. At the lower centre, the French title \u003cem\u003eREPOS de la NUIT\u003c\/em\u003e is set in an elegant serif typeface, its measured geometry balancing the organic movement above; Mucha’s signature appears more discreetly at the lower right. Typography, ornament and figure are conceived as parts of a single graphic structure rather than independent additions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eContext and significance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMucha’s work helped make the elongated decorative panel one of the most recognisable formats of fin-de-siècle graphic art. His women are often surrounded by flowers, patterned borders and architectural framing, yet they occupy spaces governed by design rather than ordinary perspective. In \u003cem\u003eNight’s Rest\u003c\/em\u003e, the frame does more than embellish the subject: it separates this allegorical realm from the everyday world and gives the passing hour the formality of a devotional or architectural image.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeen within \u003cem\u003eThe Times of the Day\u003c\/em\u003e, the panel belongs to a larger meditation on rhythm and transition. Its winter setting, reclining pose and restrained palette distinguish night from the more active phases of the cycle, while Mucha’s flowing line maintains continuity across the series. The result is a particularly quiet expression of Art Nouveau—richly ornamented, yet controlled, with every contour contributing to the atmosphere of restorative stillness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChoosing the right size and finish\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eArtwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop for advice\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 36x14in (90x35cm) version of this art print.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, or one considered visual detail. \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee examples of personalised artwork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChoose Original to retain the colour and character of the source artwork, or Aged for a warmer, more antique appearance. \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/pages\/sepia-aged-maps\"\u003eSee examples of our Aged artwork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is produced to archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte art paper. Choose an art print, framed art print or framed canvas using the finish options above.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFramed art prints use crystal-clear optical acrylic for excellent clarity, lower weight and safer delivery than glass. Each piece arrives professionally framed and ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSelected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/pages\/custom-framing\"\u003especialist framing\u003c\/a\u003e are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact our workshop\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"9x18in (23x45cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67624972910983,"sku":null,"price":354.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"9x18in (23x45cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67624972943751,"sku":null,"price":861.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"9x18in (23x45cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67624972976519,"sku":null,"price":951.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x24in (30x60cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67624973009287,"sku":null,"price":571.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x24in (30x60cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67624973042055,"sku":null,"price":1359.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x24in (30x60cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67624973074823,"sku":null,"price":1449.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x36in (40x90cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67624973107591,"sku":null,"price":797.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x36in (40x90cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67624973140359,"sku":null,"price":2173.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x36in (40x90cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67624973173127,"sku":null,"price":2264.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x40in (50x100cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67624973205895,"sku":null,"price":996.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x40in (50x100cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67624973238663,"sku":null,"price":2988.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x40in (50x100cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67624973271431,"sku":null,"price":2988.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"22x50in (56x127cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67624973304199,"sku":null,"price":1766.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"22x50in (56x127cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67624973336967,"sku":null,"price":7922.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"22x50in (56x127cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67624973369735,"sku":null,"price":7922.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"27x60in (70x150cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67624973402503,"sku":null,"price":2400.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"27x60in (70x150cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67624973435271,"sku":null,"price":12675.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"27x60in (70x150cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67624973468039,"sku":null,"price":11770.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"32x70in (80x178cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67624973500807,"sku":null,"price":3758.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"32x70in (80x178cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67624973533575,"sku":null,"price":16976.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"32x70in (80x178cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67624973566343,"sku":null,"price":15844.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/0344\/8638\/files\/file_63b83485-a617-4dc4-b696-64ba1749d21c.jpg?v=1791151566","url":"https:\/\/uniquemaps.co\/products\/the-times-of-the-day-night-s-rest-by-alphonse-mucha-1899","provider":"The Unique Maps Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}