Reclining Nude with Cupid

1704

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Reclining Nude with Cupid is a 1704 by Giovanni Battista Cipriani, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Giovanni Battista Cipriani
When & what style?: 1704 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

A woman lies on her side, one arm behind her head, while a chubby Cupid hovers above her with a bow. The scene feels light, almost like a daydream. Cipriani painted this in England, not Italy, even though the style looks Italian. He added the Cupid just for fun—it’s not part of any myth. The drawing mixes careful anatomy with playful imagination. If you like this, check out *sfumato*—a soft, smoky way of blending colors that makes figures look dreamy.

The story of this work

Overview

Giovanni Battista Cipriani spent much of his career in England, where he was a founding member of the Royal Academy. There, he taught life classes and focused on the study of the human form in his own work, such as this sheet. In addition to anatomical study, Cipriani often added fantastical flourishes to his studies, such as the cherub seen here.