Reading the canvas
A night scene that keeps its shadows readable. The Night Patrol at Smyrna is almost entirely dark, which is the whole point — you can see into every dark passage, which is far harder than painting daylight.
The Night Patrol at Smyrna. Our painter follows the same logic rather than copying a photograph of it: the darkness is mixed out of pigment, stayed away from tube black, so you can still read into it.
| Artist | alexandre-gabriel-decamps |
|---|---|
| Title | The Night Patrol at Smyrna MET DT20 |
| Reproduction | Hand-painted oil on canvas, made to order |
| Copyright | Public domain; the original is out of copyright |
Where the difficulty is
Night scenes are mostly dark, and printers render dark as muddy black. A painter mixes the darkness out of colour, so you can still see into it — which is the entire point of the picture.
Every canvas is painted to order, so the quote follows your size, frame and destination rather than a fixed list. Tell us what you need on WhatsApp and we reply with an exact figure, usually within the hour. You are buying from the workshop, not a catalogue.
Sizing it
The canvas is cut to your wall. For reference, these are the dimensions clients request most:
| Size (inches) | Size (cm) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 64 × 48 in | 163 × 122 cm | Villa scale, lobby, hospitality wall |
| 48 × 36 in | 122 × 91 cm | Large living room, stairwell, loft |
| 40 × 30 in | 102 × 76 cm | Living room focal wall, above a sofa |
| 32 × 24 in | 81 × 61 cm | Living room, above a sideboard |
| 30 × 24 in | 76 × 61 cm | Dining room, bedroom feature wall |
| 24 × 20 in | 60 × 50 cm | Study, home office, above a desk |
Do not worry if your wall sits between two of these — we will make the canvas to fit. Frames and delivery are priced once you have chosen them. Any duties or import taxes are payable by the buyer (DAP).
Tell us the size and frame — exact quote back, usually within the hour.
💬 Get a Quote for The Night Patrol at Smyrna MET DT20Hanging it
It sits naturally above a console in an entry. The painter works freehand on a blank canvas, so we keep the proportions of the original rather than cropping to fit — an unusually wide or tall composition stays honest at any size.
Questions worth asking
Will the dark passages look muddy?
That is the main risk in a night painting and the reason it cannot be printed. The painter mixes darks from colour rather than reaching for black, which keeps them transparent instead of dead.
Why not just print it?
A print flattens the surface into a poster: the distance collapses and the highlights turn to grey. Paint keeps the depth and the texture the original was built from.
Does it come with a certificate of authenticity?
No, and we would be wary of anyone who issues one for a public-domain reproduction. What you receive is a hand-painted canvas and photographs of it before it ships.