There is something simultaneously tranquil and unsettling about this sculpture – I want to believe the children are sleeping but a subtle whisper tells me they won’t be waking up…

Sleeping Children
William Henry Rinehart, 1825–1874
Modeled 1859, Carved 1869
Marble
Smithsonian American Art Museum
April 25th, 2017
I am always amazed by how marble can be polished to this degree and can look so soft. I love the detail in the hair and the flow of the fabric. Wonderful sculpting!
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Me too! And sometimes the details – like pleats on fabrics or muscles or the softness of the skin, leave me dumbfounded. How on earth did they do it?
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Yes, it is amazing, breathtakingly so.
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