Large Italian white marble sculpture of a sleeping child

This impressive sculpture is a superb example of nineteenth century Italian craftsmanship. The sculpture depicts a young child reclining on a bed, its head resting on a pillow. The child’s left hand lies limply by its side, while its right is raised over its head; the child’s left leg is fully extended, while its right is bent at the knee. The bed the child lies on is a triumph of trompe l’oeil sculpting: the cushioned mattress is depressed under the child’s weight, the floral embroidered and tasselled sheet and pillow believably crinkled and wrinkled.