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Sleeping Infant
(Baroque Europe )
The subject of a sleeping infant in ivory was popular with collectors as an amusing response to Greek or Roman statues of a sleeping Cupid that were known in the Renaissance. The Antwerp collector Nicholas Rochox treasured a fragment of a Roman "Sleeping Cupid" among his antiquities. Ivory is perfect for suggesting the soft, smooth skin of a baby.
The piece is signed and dated by Artus Quellinus the Elder. His ability to work on an intimate as well as large scale was considered as evidence of his ingenuity. The Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1576-1640) owned ivories by him.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1900, by purchase [in Amsterdam]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1983-1984 | Ivory: The Sumptuous Art. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 6/1/1950 | Treatment | cleaned; other |
| 6/3/1986 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 6/3/1986 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
| 10/13/1992 | Examination | other |
Geographies
Italy, Rome
(Place of Origin)
Belgium, Antwerp (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 1 1/4 × W: 4 3/4 × D: 2 3/8 in. (3.1 × 12 × 6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1900
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.393