Moonlight, Tetuan, Morocco

"Moonlight, Tetuan, Morocco" by Sir John Lavery captures a serene, nocturnal view of Tetuan under a moonlit sky. Although the painting is inscribed with the date ‘1911’, this is likely unreliable, as Lavery's inscriptions often were. Given the rising tensions in Morocco at that time, it's improbable that he visited Tetuan—an eight-hour ride from Tangier—in that year. More plausible are his earlier documented trips during the winter of 1903-4 and spring of 1906, before his marriage to Hazel Trudeau. On one of these occasions, the port, bathed in moonlight, evoked an air of mystery that appealed to Lavery's acute sensitivity to color and tone. The painting’s muted, cool hues and subtle illumination highlight architectural forms, creating a tranquil, dreamlike atmosphere that captures the quiet stillness of a Moroccan night.