Reclining Woman with a Child 1890s

"Reclining Woman with a Child" is an undated etching by the Italian artist Domenico Morelli. Morelli lived through a period of significant social and political upheaval in Italy, including the struggle for unification. The print depicts a woman reclining with a child. The figures blend into a dark background, the subtle light is suggestive of the tenderness of a mother-child relationship. Though the lack of specific details and absence of setting make it difficult to place the figures in a particular time, the universal scene resonates with the representation of women within the domestic sphere. Morelli, who was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, had a profound influence on Neapolitan painting, his students becoming leaders in the arts. This piece departs from traditional idealized representations, inviting a more intimate consideration of the personal bond between mother and child.