Sleeping Nymph and Satyr

A conception of subtle eroticism, Giambologna’s Sleeping Nymph juxtaposes a smooth, elongated body with refined detail, the carefully relaxed torso contrasting with the more complex compositional treatment of the drapery and the couch on which the figure reclines. First documented on 7 April 1584, the model has consistently been attributed to the Medici court sculptor Giambologna in numerous early sources. Inspiration for the composition likely draws on multiple sources available to the artist, including the ancient marble of Ariadne (Vatican Museums, inv. 548), the sarcophagus relief of the Discovery of Ariadne (formerly Palazzo della Valle, now Blenheim Palace), and painted precedents such as the reclining nudes of Giorgione and Titian.

The enduring popularity of Giambologna’s model is evidenced by its continued production throughout Europe in the centuries following the sculptor’s death. Notably, various versions incorporate a satyr, now widely attributed to Giambologna’s pupil Adriaen de Vries. The addition of the satyr was first documented in a 1587 cast made for Dresden’s Grünes Gewölbe, introducing a provocative element that reflects Renaissance tastes for allegory and moral contrast.