The sleep of innocence

The plaster model was made by Lorenzo Bartolini in 1820 in memory of the daughter of the Russian nobleman Malysev who died at a very young age. The marble version of the sculpture was sent to Moscow and its current location is unknown.
The girl is depicted to be asleep, lying on her side and with a folded leg. The robe gently descends from the shoulders, revealing the arms and chest. An elegant curled head rests on a soft-textured pillow, on a slightly raised mattress with creases and seams on the sides. The calm face expresses precisely the innocence of the protagonist, as suggested by the title of the artwork.