The Christ Child Sleeping on the Cross

This drawing depicts the Christ Child sleeping on the cross with his right arm resting on a skull. Two angels, amidst clouds, watch over his sleep. There is a landscape background.

This is a preparatory drawing for the print dated 1806 and dedicated to the King, which has led to the belief that the painting may have belonged to the Crown. There is also another edition, dated 1809, with the title Ego dormio et cor meun vigilat. Cant. C.V.V.2 and the statement: Murillo pinx, Maella delin, Carmona sculp, 1809.

The painted version of this composition is known today by a painting in the Sheffield Museum. This painting differs slightly from the print, especially in the left arm of the child, which is more naked on the canvas than in the print. As the painting, now in Sheffield, was already in England during the second half of the 18th century, it is possible that Carmona copied another model that was in Madrid at that time.

The Biblioteca Nacional (National Library of Spain) has two other drawings for the same print.

Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso E., Museo del Prado, Catálogo de Dibujos, III. Dibujos Españoles. Siglo XVIII. C-Z, Madrid, 1977, p.102