Young Knitter Asleep

Best known for his sentimental paintings of family life, Greuze offers here a sensitive depiction of a girl who has fallen asleep while knitting a stocking, her hands still grasping the fine needles. The artist has captured the translucency of his young subject’s closed eyelids and the dewy softness of her slightly parted lips. Is the painting a comment on the girl’s inattention to her work, or a tender portrayal of her childish features in the relaxation of sleep?