Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69)
'Sleeping Woman, formerly known as Negress Lying Down'
1658
Etching, drypoint and burin (Bartsch 205, State III)
Museum no. CAI 728
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides

The traditional title, Negress Lying Down, derives from a simple misreading of Rembrandt's characteristic depiction of a figure in deep shadow. In fact, the print belongs to a series of 'naked young women sleeping'. 19th-century connoisseurs and artists such as Strang and Whistler rediscovered these informal and intimate studies, valuing them more highly than Rembrandt's grander and more solemn productions.