
Symbolist sculptor Jean Coulon envisioned Night as an owl composed of deeply sensual females. Ceramist Dalpayrat interpreted Coulon's design in stoneware thereby establishing his professional reputation when exhibiting it at the Galerie Georges Petit in Paris in December 1894. Coulon was already well-established, having made his debut at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris in 1880. This design demonstrates his awareness of High Rennaisance and Mannerist sculpture including Michelangelo's "Night and Day" figures, created in 1524 of the tomb of Giuliano de Medici, in the Church of San Lorenzo, Florence.