In the years around 1900, Claudel worked with small items she called “sketches from nature”. She composed the sculpture Rêve au coin de feu – Fireside – c. 1899. The sculpture was cast and available for sale from 1905; it was originally a nightlight. Despite its diminutive size, it has a certain grandeur. The subject matter is conventional, but there is a luminous presence and dreamlike depth behind its apparent simplicity.