Status Of A Veiled Woman, Known As A Bather

An imposing plaster statue depicting a young woman standing, her head and shoulders veiled, leaning against a large antique urn. Her modest pose, inclined face, and flowing drapery reflect a neoclassical and romantic aesthetic, typical of 19th-century French sculpture. This iconography combines the ritual veil of the Vestal Virgins with the water urn, a frequent motif in allegorical statuary of the second half of the century. It evokes both sacred purity and the allegory of the spring, highly prized in bourgeois interiors as well as in conservatories. Such figures were popularized by renowned sculptors and workshops (Carrier-Belleuse, Moreau, Durenne, Val d'Osne), who disseminated numerous variations in marble, bronze, and cast iron. Some signs of wear consistent with age and use.