(Wimbledon 1862–1922 London)
Sweet dreams, signed, dated JWGodward 1904, oil on canvas, 56 x 42.5 cm, framed, (GG) 

Provenance:
Aguttes, Paris, 6 November 2009, lot 84;
Private Collection, Italy.

We are grateful to Dr. Vern G. Swanson for kindly confirming the authenticity based on a photograph.

The present lot will be included in the expanded and revised edition of Vern G. Swanson, J.W. Godward 1861-1922, New York 2018 which will be released in October 2018.

The beautiful dark-haired Roman girl is depicted looking front-on towards the viewer. She is wearing a purple ‘stola’, the traditional garment worn by Roman women which corresponds to the ancient Roman ‘toga’. The waist is drawn in with an elegant dark purple ‘palla’, the Roman shawl. The setting is a sunlit marble terrace, where the model sits on an animal fur placed on a marble bench. She is wearing sandals. 
Behind the model, there is an oleander tree in full bloom and cypresses in the distance. The Mediterranean Sea beyond, under a deep blue sky, is an element that features regularly in Godward’s paintings. 

He is considered to be one of the best classical subject painters of the late 19th century.  The subjects often have direct Greco-Roman references. Like other artists of the Victorian period, such as Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Frederic Lord Leighton, the topic of antiquity remained a constant throughout his career. 

The artist was captivated by Italy. He likely made his first trip in 1905, returning in 1910-11 for an eleven-year stay. He left London with his Italian model to take up residence in a studio at the Villa Strohl Fern in Rome. It is believed that he also lived in Capri for a time.