Sleep

oil on canvasJean Bernard Restout (French, 1732–1797)/c. 1771

Description

The tradition of painting nude male figures in a studio setting was the cornerstone of artistic practice, teaching artists to depict the human body in complex poses in order to create larger narratives. However, by the late 1700s, some artists began to see these studies as independent works of art. By adding the wings and the poppies, Restout transformed his study into a more specific subject, and he first exhibited the work in a privately organized exhibition in 1783 under the title of Morpheus, the god of sleep.

Provenance

possibly exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1771, cat. 137 ("Sommeil, figure d'etude); possibly exhibited at the Salon de la Correspondance of 1783, cat. 144 (as "Morphée"); possibly listed as "Morphée" in the inventory made at the artist's death, 1797; (Sold, Boussod, Valadon et Cie., Paris [as attributed to Fragonard]); (sold, Hotel Drouot, Paris, December 2, 1910, no. 13, as attributed to Fragonard); Octave Linet (1870-1962), Paris and Tours, France; (Octave Linet, sold, Palais Galliera, Paris, March 23, 1963, no. 16, as "Le genie du sommeil," as by François Boucher); (Galerie Cailleux, Paris, France), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1963.; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Dimensions

97.6 × 130 cm

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Movement / Period

European Painting and Sculpture

Accession No

1963.502

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Jean Bernard Restout (French, 1732–1797)

European Painting and Sculpture • France, 18th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery