Statuette of a Sleeping Cupid

Cupid, the winged child-god of love, lies with his right arm cast around his head, a typical motif to denote sleep. His missing left arm was probably limply extended. The strap for a quiver rests across his chest. Beneath him is a lion’s skin that covers a rocky surface—part of the tail is visible between his feet, and a paw to the right. The lion’s skin is an attribute of Hercules, and one tale tells of Cupid stealing his club, quiver, and lion’s skin, suggesting that even the mightiest are vulnerable to the playful, yet cunning, designs of love. In this sculpture, these symbols of the hero's strength are used to signal the irresistible power of Cupid.

The motif of the sleeping Cupid is found in both poetry and art, and surviving sculptures of this type probably derive from a Greek sculpture of the Hellenistic period (323-31 B.C.). The image was used by the Romans in a variety of ways: as a fountain or garden ornament, as a dedication to the gods, and, as was probably the case with this sculpture, as a funerary monument. Sleeping Cupids are often depicted on tomb monuments and sarcophagi, equating death with restful slumber. The image of the sleeping child-god was especially popular on children's graves.