Jean-Baptiste Greuze

This picture is in excellent condition. Oval panel is made from a single piece of wood which is flat, stable, uncradled, and beveled all around. Two strips of wood are affixed to the back of the panel, possible to support a small crack, though any semblance of a crack is not visible from the front. The paint is very well preserved and some slight impasto remains in parts of the skin. Only the skin around the child's left leg has flattened somewhat. UV light reveals almost zero retouches. A couple small retouches are found around the edge of the panel, and one very small retouch is in the child's left shoulder. May be hung as is. In a carved giltwood frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Depictions of naked children, sometimes shown with wings identifying them as Cupid, are found frequently in Greuze's oeuvre.  Edgar Munhall dates this painting to circa 1767, around the time that Greuze was at work on his major canvas, the Votive Offering to Cupid (London, Wallace Collection).  Studies for the important figure of Cupid in that painting may have been made after the same subject he used for the present work.  In that same year, Greuze was also working on a major canvas, variously called Danaë and Jupiter or Aegina Visited by Jupiter (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art).  Remarkable similarities can be seen in the depiction of the bed linens in that painting, and the various studies for it and those depicted in a Sleeping Child.

We are grateful to Edgar Munhall for confirming the attribution to Greuze, and for his assistance in the cataloguing of this picture.  A copy of Dr. Munhall's report is available upon request.