The Awakaning - Charles Octave Levy (1820 - 1899)

The Awakening (Le Réveil) by Charles Octave Levy

Levy’s Le Réveil (The Awakening) captures the brief moment between sleep and waking.
Rendered in white marble, the figure of a woman rests on a crescent moon, representing the night, while the flowers in her hand reach for the day. This elegant sculpture is alive with movement. The figure’s partially draped body reveals the arch of her back and her hair flows below her as she opens her eyes.

Although Levy exhibited at several Paris salons during his career, he presented very few marble sculptures. This sculpture was exhibited during the Salon of Paris in 1896 and is considered one of his finest works.



Charles Octave Levy (1820 - 1899)

Signed « CH.LEVY», Le Réveil is by Charles Octave Levy (1820-1899). Born in Paris, he was a student of the sculptor Armand Toussaint (1806-1862).

Levy exhibited several of his works at the Salon between 1873 and 1898 including: «Source» (1888) and «La Paix» (1898) both in plaster; «Naïde» (1889), «Le Réveil» (1896) both in marble; and «Faneur et Captif» (1890) in bronze. Levy also reproduced many of his bronzes in different sizes; not so his marble sculptures which are unique.