Sleeping Old Man with Dog 1759

Francesco Londonio created this etching, "Sleeping Old Man with Dog," sometime in the 18th century. The image presents a man, likely a peasant, resting with his dog. Londonio was working in a period when debates about class and poverty were intensifying across Europe, and institutions like the church and emerging state welfare systems were grappling with the question of poverty's causes and cures. This image engages those debates, offering a somewhat sentimental view of poverty. The sleeping man and his loyal dog evoke a sense of rustic simplicity, perhaps even an idealized vision of rural life. As art historians, we can delve into the cultural meanings of sleep and depictions of the poor in 18th-century Italian art to understand this etching better. By exploring these contexts, we gain insight into the social and political roles that art played in its time.