Egon Schiele:
Sleeping Girl (1911) Schlafendes Mädchen
Watercolor and pencil
48,6 x 31,4
Private collection, last seen in 1984
(Kallir d769)

In 1911, Egon Schiele created Sleeping Girl, a quiet and intimate drawing that captures a moment of rest. The girl lies curled on her side, her limbs tucked in, her face turned slightly away. There’s no tension in the pose, no dramatic gesture—just stillness. Schiele’s use of watercolor and pencil is gentle here, almost hesitant, as if he’s observing without disturbing.

This work belongs to a group of drawings from around the same time where Schiele explored themes of sleep, vulnerability, and youth. He was only 21, but already pushing past the influence of Klimt and finding his own voice. The lines are expressive but not exaggerated, and the color is soft, almost fading into the paper. It’s a moment caught between innocence and introspection.

The girl’s identity is unknown, like many of Schiele’s models. She might have been someone from his circle in Vienna, or one of the young sitters he often drew in private settings. What matters more is the mood: quiet, personal, and slightly haunting. There’s no erotic charge here, unlike some of his other works—just a sense of closeness and solitude.

Sleeping Girl was last seen in public in 1984, in a private collection. Since then, it has disappeared from view, like a memory tucked away. It’s one of those Schiele pieces that reminds us how much of his work lives in the shadows—fragile, fleeting, and deeply human.