Midsummer Night's Dream

Born in Mauritius into an aristocratic family, Prosper d’Épinay initially trained with the caricaturist Jean-Pierre Dantan, known as “Dantan the Younger,” in Paris before continuing his studies in Rome in 1861. There, he established his large studio at 57 Via Sistina in 1863, which remained active until 1912. D’Épinay divided his time between Rome, Paris, and London, following the social seasons and developing a prestigious network of clients including celebrities, aristocrats, and sovereigns, earning him the nickname 'sculptor of sovereigns.' In Rome, he produced the bulk of his work, while in London he spent every summer attending the “debutante season,” receiving in his studio some of the most prominent women of the gentry and nobility.

Our marble bust, with the English title inscribed on its base, Midsummer Night's Dream, refers to Shakespeare’s play, and its execution in Rome perfectly reflects this European circulation. It belongs to a body of work depicting sleeping female figures, among which Le Réveil, showing a standing woman stretching, and Marie, inspired by Musset’s Rolla, depicting a reclining woman 'whose half-closed lips pass a smile, like a breath' are notable examples. Prosper d’Épinay had Musset’s verses engraved on the base of the latter, demonstrating that inscribing a title or text was not an isolated practice in his production.

One work bears an even closer relation to our bust, with the addition of a garland of flowers framing the young figure: Le Rêve at the Mahébourg Museum, Mauritius (op. cit. L'Homme, p.38). The monograph describes this work as follows: 'The young dreamer lies asleep on a bed strewn with roses, her hair loose, her throat bare, her eyes half-closed, her mouth slightly open' highlighting the care with which Prosper d’Épinay rendered sleep and reverie in marble.