''The Sleeping Children'' is a

marble sculpture Marble has been the preferred material for stone monumental sculpture since ancient times, with several advantages over its more common geological "parent" limestone, in particular the ability to absorb light a small distance into the surface b ...

Francis Chantrey Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...

. The statue depicts Ellen-Jane and Marianne Robinson asleep in each other's arms on a bed. The statue was commissioned by the mother of the two children, also named Ellen-Jane Robinson, whose daughters had died in 1813 and 1814. The statue was placed in the south east corner of

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Lichfield, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lichfield and the principal church of the diocese ...

in 1817 where it remains. The work is considered to be one of Chantrey's finest works and one of the greatest works of English sculpture during the period.

Subject

The sculpture depicts the two daughters of Ellen-Jane Robinson ( Woodhouse) lying asleep on a bed in each other's arms. The tragic story depicted by the sculpture begins in 1812 when Ellen-Jane's husband, the clergyman Reverend William Robinson, who had recently become a

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...

of Lichfield Cathedral, contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and died. Reverend William Robinson was in his thirties at the time of his death and left his wife with their two daughters. In 1813 Ellen-Jane and her daughter, Ellen-Jane, were on a trip in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. During the trip the daughter's nightdress caught fire while she was preparing for bed and she died of the burns she received. The following year the younger daughter, Marianne, sickened and died while they were in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Within three years Ellen-Jane had lost her entire family and in her distress she commissioned

to secure a likeness of her lost children. During a meeting with Chantrey, Ellen-Jane expressed to him a clear idea of what she wanted. She told Chantrey of how in the past she had watched as her daughters fell asleep in each other's arms and this is how she wanted them represented. She had also taken inspiration from Thomas Banks’ Boothby monument (1791) in

St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne St Oswald's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Ashbourne, in the county of Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South York ...

. The statue depicts

Penelope Boothby Penelope Boothby (11 April 178513 March 1791) was a girl who has become one of the most famous child characters in British art. Her image inspired the paintings by Joshua Reynolds, Henry Fuseli, John Everett Millais, a sculpture by Thomas Banks ( ...

, the daughter of

Sir Brooke Boothby, 6th Baronet Sir Brooke Boothby, 6th Baronet (3 June 1744 – 23 January 1824) was a British linguist, translator, poet and landowner, based in Derbyshire, England. He was part of the intellectual and literary circle of Lichfield, which included Anna Seward ...

, who had died during childhood. Chantrey visited this monument and then returned to his home to make a model of his proposed sculpture.

Construction and display

The statue was carved from white marble. The carving was entrusted to Chantrey's assistant, F. A. Lege, and it was his suggestion that the younger sister hold a bunch of snowdrops. The work was completed in time for the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

Art Exhibition of 1816, where it was a sensation. The statue was moved to the south east corner of Lichfield Cathedral in 1817 and remains there to this day. Above the statue is a black marble plaque dedicated to William Robinson (the father of the two children).

Legacy

Literature

In 1826 the poet

William Lisle Bowles William Lisle Bowles (24 September 17627 April 1850) was an English priest, poet and critic. Life and career Bowles was born at King's Sutton, Northamptonshire, where his father was vicar. At the age of 14 he entered Winchester College, whe ...

wrote a poem about the sculpture:

Felicia Hemans Felicia Dorothea Hemans (25 September 1793 – 16 May 1835) was an English poet (who identified as Welsh by adoption). Regarded as the leading female poet of her day, Hemans was immensely popular during her lifetime in both England and the Unit ...

' poem on this subject was published in the ''Forget-Me-Not'' annual for 1829: "The Sculptured Children".

Television

In 2011 the sculpture was featured on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

programme ''Romancing the Stone: The Golden Ages of British Sculpture''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sleeping Children Lichfield Cathedral Marble sculptures in the United Kingdom 1817 sculptures Sculptures of children in England