792 - Sleeping Nymph

Sleeping Nymph After Giambologna France, 17th/18th century Carved oak Length 56 cm, height 32 cm Giambologna (1529-1608), a sculptor originally from the Southern Netherlands who worked primarily in Florence, is one of the most important representatives of European Mannerism. His elegantly dynamic figures and the nuanced modeling of the human body shaped sculpture far beyond his lifetime. His small-scale bronzes, in particular, became widespread in European collections through workshop castings, reproductions, and later copies. This wooden sculpture illustrates the transfer of such a figure model into a different material. The theme of the sleeping nymph provided an opportunity to depict the female body in a pose that is both restful and artfully dynamic. In 17th- and 18th-century France, such a figure could satisfy an interest in Italian sculpture, classical motifs, and the decorative design of private interiors. A nude female figure rests on a cushioned, couch-like recliner, lying on a cloth that is draped between her loosely spread legs. Her right hand grasps the fabric and rests on her left calf, while her left arm is raised above her head and appears to support it as she sleeps. Her left hand also grasps the cloth, which is draped from the back of her head down along her body. Wavy strands of hair emerge from beneath it. Her head is tilted back, her face turned upward. Closed, clearly defined eyelids, a striking straight nose, and a full, slightly parted mouth above a short chin characterize the Sleeping Woman. The soft transitions at the limbs and torso are rendered with particular care. The calm modeling of the body contrasts with the dynamic folds of the fabric and the padding of the couch; the arms and legs, positioned at an angle to one another, lend the figure a dynamic posture despite her slumber. The wooden sculpture is a high-quality reproduction based on Giambologna’s model of the “Sleeping Nymph,” which has been preserved both as a single figure and in a composition expanded to include a satyr. A bronze version of the reclining woman is held in the sculpture collection of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, dated around 1600 (Inv. No. 7243). The “Sleeping Nymph with Satyr” is preserved, among other versions, in a work by Antonio Susini based on Giambologna’s model at the National Gallery of Art in Washington (Inv. No. 2022.181.32). These variations demonstrate how the reclining female nude could be viewed either on its own or placed within a narrative context. The pose also recalls the ancient “Sleeping Ariadne” in the Vatican Museums (Inv. No. 548), which was long interpreted as Cleopatra because of her serpent-shaped bracelet. The arm raised above the head and the reclining posture are part of this time-honored repertoire of sleeping female figures. Giambologna’s nymph draws on such ancient inspirations but reimagines them as a largely unclothed, intimate figure.