The Disturbed Slumber 1755 - 1765

This porcelain sculpture, called “The Disturbed Slumber,” was made at the Real Fabrica de Buen Retiro in Spain. The sculpture depicts a sleeping woman being roused by a young child and a dog. The scene hints at the domestic lives of the wealthy, and it reflects an artistic culture that privileged the concerns of the upper classes. “The Disturbed Slumber” also exemplifies the institution of royal manufacture, in which kings and queens sponsored the production of luxury goods in order to enrich the national culture and economy. The sculpture implies the social importance of leisure and family for the upper class, and it uses visual codes such as fine materials, idealized figures, and sentimental themes to reinforce a conservative worldview. As art historians, we can analyze such works in terms of their economic and political context, drawing on resources that range from archival documents to theoretical texts. The meaning of the sculpture is contingent on the social and institutional conditions that made it possible.