Sweet Dreams by John William Godward

A timeless elegance and a sculptural hieratism permeate this interior representation typical of academic art from the late Victorian era. In this superb composition named “Sweet Dreams”, the undisputed master John William Godward stages a Roman patrician resting on luxurious furniture. The canvas materializes a plastic research centered on the opposition of precious textures and the balance of warm tones, fitting fully into the canons of the English Aesthetic school.

A young woman with tied dark hair is seated languidly on a white marble bench covered with a spotted tiger skin with black and tan stripes. She wears a fine, pleated turquoise-green stola that hugs the contours of her body, girt by a wide dark purple scarf tied around her waist. Her torso is slightly tilted backward, and her calm gaze fixes the viewer with a hushed confidence. The background consists of a white marble wall veined with gray, surmounted on the right by an architectural niche holding a small dark bronze vase. A few small violets are scattered on the light marble pavement in the foreground.

The craftsman’s artisanal expertise resplends in the virtuoso rendering of the animal fur and the softness of the satin skin. His meticulous oil painting technique confers a perfect matte finish upon the mineral surfaces and a striking realism upon the light draperies. This virtuosity bears witness to an immense professional mastery.