This self-illuminating stained-glass light box with a wooden frame depicts a sleeping child, which is based on a drawing by the prominent Polish painter Stanislaw Wyspianski (1869 – 1907). Wyspianski is famous for depicting domestic scenes and children’s faces. He enjoyed drawing nursing mothers, sleeping children, and portraits of his children in everyday life. 

To create the stained-glass, a few artisans were gathered to design and assemble the artwork. The team was led by Josef Olszewski, one of the oldest Polish stained-glass artisans and author of some 3,000 works of art. Halina Cieślińska-Brzeska (1923 – 2004), a contemporary Polish painter, used Wyspianski’s drawing to design the work which was executed by a group of Polish artisans who volunteered their efforts for the project. The wooden frame was hand-carved by another well-known artist, Zygmunt Dzierla. Dzierla’s furniture and frames are displayed in the chambers of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. 

The ‘Sleeping Child’ a gift from the Government of Poland, presented by the Deputy Permanent Representative Henry Sokalski, to the United Nations in honor of the International Year of the Child. The proclamation focuses on problems related to children worldwide, like malnutrition and education.