Sleeping Beauty

Henry Brintnell Bounetheau, Sleeping Beauty, ca. 1850, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry Du Pré Bounetheau, 1946.3.22
Copied Henry Brintnell Bounetheau, Sleeping Beauty, ca. 1850, watercolor on ivory, sight 4 346 12 in. (12.116.5 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry Du Pré Bounetheau, 1946.3.22
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Sleeping Beauty
Date
ca. 1850
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 4 346 12 in. (12.116.5 cm) oval
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Henry Du Pré Bounetheau
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure female — nude
  • State of being — other — sleep
  • Literature — character — Sleeping Beauty
Object Number
1946.3.22

Artwork Description

The artist’s slightly risqué painting of a partially nude, sleeping woman has a venerable source: John Vanderlyn’s famous painting Ariadne Asleep on the Isle of Naxos. Here, Henry Brintnell Bounetheau moved his more demurely clad figure indoors and showed only her upper torso, whereas Vanderlyn’s painting placed his full-length, nearly nude sleeping beauty outdoors. Conservation of this miniature was made possible through a generous grant provided by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.