The Sluggard (An Athlete Awakening from Sleep), Frederic Leighton 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton

Artwork Overview

Frederic Leighton 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton, The Sluggard (An Athlete Awakening from Sleep)
Frederic Leighton 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton, The Sluggard (An Athlete Awakening from Sleep)
Frederic Leighton 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton
The Sluggard (An Athlete Awakening from Sleep)
1890
The Sluggard (An Athlete Awakening from Sleep), 1890
Where object was made: England, United Kingdom
Material/technique: bronze; patina
Dimensions:
Object Height (Height): 52.6 cm
Object Height (Height): 20 11/16 in
Weight (Weight): 21 lbs
Credit line: Museum purchase: Helen Foresman Spencer Art Acquisition Fund
Accession number: 1993.0016
Not on display
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Exhibition Label: "Corpus," Apr-2012, Kris Ercums Awakening from a drowsy slumber, Leighton’s Sluggard or “young athlete,” delineates the lithe, svelte form of a young boy. By introducing the attribute of the laurel wreath, Leighton suggests that the young athlete was rising from a well-deserved rest after exercise; the overall image, however, conveys little in the way of a moral or narrative message. It is primarily a celebration of youthful beauty and the idealized male nude. Leighton drew heavily on historical inspiration-ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy were among the most important sources-constructing a “feminized” aesthetic that is a joyous celebration of all variety of human sexuality.