'Flight of Night'

Gloria Kittleson writes: "Often considered one of Manship's most elegant works, and an early expression of his mature style, Flight of Night evokes classical Greek and East Indian sources. The allegorical figure of night floats in space over the universe, suggesting ubiquity, and her upraised arms round her head echo the globe over which she hovers. Her clearly delineated form suggests the crescent shape of the moon; the crescent moon was the ancient attribute of the virgin. Flight looks back over her shoulder, while her body moves forward with speed to make way for the oncoming day; her form is weighted toward the left, heightening the sense of movement." (Paul Manship: Changing Taste in America, exhibition catalogue, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1985, p. 71)

According to Edwin Murtha, the present example was cast in an edition of twenty. Other examples of the scultpure are in the collections of The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut.