A Sleeping Girl

Pietro Rotari

National Gallery of Art

Shown from the chest up, a young woman with smooth, pale skin sleeps with her head tipped away from us in this vertical painting. Her face leans to our left so we see her delicate features in profile. She has faint brows, and her pink lips are parted. The tip of her nose and cheeks are also lightly flushed. Her brown curls are topped with a black fur cap, which is draped with a triangular, muted red cloth. The cloth comes to a point with a gold tassel, which hangs alongside her neck. A flaring, pleated, white collar encircles her neck, seeming unconnected to her other garments. Her topaz-blue bodice is open to show a butter-yellow corset beneath. The jacket is lined with cool, shimmering green. Her head tips alongside the arched, wooden back of her chair, which is upholstered with caramel brown edged with gold. The background is washed with tones of olive and dark green. The painting is created with blended strokes, giving it a soft, almost blurry appearance.