3-097-364 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Allegory of Night, 1819. Depiction of Night, embodied by a winged Victory crowned with poppy seed heads. Papaver somniferum, commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived. Opium contains a class of naturally occurring alkaloids known as opiates, that include morphine, codeine, thebaine, oripavine, papaverine and noscapine. The specific epithet somniferum means "sleep-bringing", referring to the sedative properties of some of these opiates. The allegorical figure of Night is directly inspired by the isolated female figures found in the paintings of Pompeii and Herculaneum, popularized through engravings after their rediscovery. One of four canvases belonging to the series of allegories of the Hours of the Day, painted by Juan Antonio de Ribera and José de Madrazo for the decoration of the now-demolished mansion known as the Casino de la Reina, a gift from the Madrid City Council to Queen Isabel of Braganza.