Sleeping Venus

A reclining nude woman lies asleep across a draped bed, her body turned toward the viewer and one arm folded under her head. A winged cupid sits on the bed frame above her, while heavy curtains fill the dark background. The watercolor is rendered in soft grey washes with pen accents, emphasizing light on the figures against deep shadow.

Look closer: A small cupid with wings sits on the bed frame near the center, partly hidden by the drapery.

Artist

Thomas Sully

Date

Medium

Watercolor, pen and iron-gall ink on off-white wove paper

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1736 × 1208 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of J. William Middendorf II, 1968