“Raffaelle Monti (1818-1881) carved this allegorical figure group in 1861, and it was shown in the International Exhibition in London in 1862. A veiled figure of the Dream of Joy appears to hover above the sleeping figure of Sorrow. Although an apparently lyrical group, and sculpturally highly accomplished, it was primarily a topical comment on the contemporary political situation and resurgence of cultural unity in Italy, where a kingdom was proclaimed on 17 March 1861.
The son of a sculptor, Monti was trained in Milan, but came to London in 1846, and eventually settled there from 1848 until his death. He specialised in carving illusionistic veiled marble figures, ultimately derived from the work of the Venetian sculptor Antonio Corradini (1668-1752). He undertook a number of commissions for English patrons, including decorative sculpture for the grounds of the reconstructed Crystal Palace at Sydenham, London. Towards the end of his life, he became involved with the production of electrotypes for Elkington & Co., and in 1861 made the largest known electrotype monument, an equestrian statue of Charles William Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778-1854), in the market-place in Durham.
Following its inclusion in the International Exhibition in London in 1862, this sculpture may have been bought by the chairman of the London Stereoscopic Company. Later it passed into the collection of the Croft family of Fanhams Hall, near Ware, Hertfordshire. In 1950 it was sold from this collection, where it was listed as having been in the Winter Garden.” From [the V&A](https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70433/the-sleep-of-sorrow-and-group-monti-raffaelle/)
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“Raffaelle Monti (1818-1881) carved this allegorical figure group in 1861, and it was shown in the International Exhibition in London in 1862. A veiled figure of the Dream of Joy appears to hover above the sleeping figure of Sorrow. Although an apparently lyrical group, and sculpturally highly accomplished, it was primarily a topical comment on the contemporary political situation and resurgence of cultural unity in Italy, where a kingdom was proclaimed on 17 March 1861.
The son of a sculptor, Monti was trained in Milan, but came to London in 1846, and eventually settled there from 1848 until his death. He specialised in carving illusionistic veiled marble figures, ultimately derived from the work of the Venetian sculptor Antonio Corradini (1668-1752). He undertook a number of commissions for English patrons, including decorative sculpture for the grounds of the reconstructed Crystal Palace at Sydenham, London. Towards the end of his life, he became involved with the production of electrotypes for Elkington & Co., and in 1861 made the largest known electrotype monument, an equestrian statue of Charles William Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778-1854), in the market-place in Durham.
Following its inclusion in the International Exhibition in London in 1862, this sculpture may have been bought by the chairman of the London Stereoscopic Company. Later it passed into the collection of the Croft family of Fanhams Hall, near Ware, Hertfordshire. In 1950 it was sold from this collection, where it was listed as having been in the Winter Garden.” From [the V&A](https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70433/the-sleep-of-sorrow-and-group-monti-raffaelle/)