Sleeping Woman with a Cupid (Hush)
Fuseli himself etched this mysterious erotic image of a woman dozing on a cushioned divan. She wears a classically styled gown that exposes her breasts and has been hit by an invisible arrow released by Cupid, who hovers at upper left. Her dropped book rests near mating butterflies and Greek letters on a pillar translate as "Silence" or "Hush," warning us not to disturb the sleeper's dreams.
Artwork Details
- Title: Sleeping Woman with a Cupid (Hush)
- Artist: Henry Fuseli (Swiss, Zürich 1741–1825 London)
- Publisher: Robert Pollard (British, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1755–1838 London)
- Date: 1780–90
- Medium: Etching and drypoint; published state
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed within plate line): 9 13/16 × 14 3/4 in. (25 × 37.5 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1955
- Object Number: 55.565.122
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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