Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Allegory of Sleep

ca. 1570
Not on view
The two rapid sketches with the Allegory of Forgetfulness (acc. no. 67.95.3) and the Allegory of Sleep (acc. no. 67.95.4) were executed in pen and brown ink by the Renaissance artist and historian Giorgio Vasari in a quick and spontaneous manner to record his ideas for a ceiling or wall decoration. In 1981 Julian Kliemann pointed out that Vasari’s allegorical drawings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art correspond with two sections of a ceiling decoration of a bedroom (possibly for Francesco I de' Medici) planned by Vincenzo Borghini in a text datable ca. 1569-70. The Allegory of Forgetfulness is represented as a river god resting on an urn from which flow the dark waters of Lethe. The sleeping leopard and lizard in the foreground play emblematic roles, while "certi spiritelli come diavolini," representing cares, fly away at upper right. The Allegory of Sleep (acc. no. 67.95.4) differs in a number of ways from Vincenzo Borghini's description for the bedroom project. The essential elements of Borghini's scheme are nonetheless present: Sleep is attended by a young woman, and butterfly-winged putti holding mirrors appear above.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Allegory of Sleep
  • Artist: Giorgio Vasari (Italian, Arezzo 1511–1574 Florence)
  • Date: ca. 1570
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over red chalk
  • Dimensions: Diameter: 3-11/16 in. (9.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1967
  • Object Number: 67.95.4
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
Grand Duke Cosimo I of Tuscany Surrounded by his Artists., Giorgio Vasari Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white gouache, over traces of black chalk or graphite, on gray-green paper
Grand Duke Cosimo I of Tuscany Surrounded by his Artists.
Workshop of Giorgio Vasari
Attributed to Jacopo Zucchi
ca. 1556–62
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
Three Standing Figures (recto); Seated Woman and a Male Hermit in Half-length (verso), Stefano da Verona (Stefano di Giovanni d'Arbosio di Francia) Italian, Pen and brown ink, over traces of charcoal or black chalk (recto); pen and brown ink, brush with touches of brown wash, over traces of charcoal or black chalk (verso)
Three Standing Figures (recto); Seated Woman and a Male Hermit in Half-length (verso)
Stefano da Verona (Stefano di Giovanni d'Arbosio di Francia)
1435–38
Design for a Fountain with Rivergods and Nymphs, Giorgio Vasari , workshop of Italian, Pen with medium and dark brown ink, brush and gray wash, highlighted with white gouache, over graphite. Traces of framing outlines in pen with brown and black ink
Design for a Fountain with Rivergods and Nymphs
Giorgio Vasari
1511–74
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head, Steel, copper, gold, glass, pigment, textile, Italian
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head
Italian
ca. 1475–80

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.