With great style and elegance, this patinated bronze of a classical maiden is by Johann Benk (1844-1914). Benk studied with the sculptor Franz Bauer and then went to Dresden where he studied at The Academy of Fine arts with Ernst Julis Hahnel, being awarded in 1862 the Academy’s prestigious Gundel-Prize for excellence. He then studied in Rome and Florence and upon returning home to Austria, he attracted a notable patron in Baron Karl Von Hasenauer. His major works include a group of allegorical statues representing Austria, for the stair case at the Hofwaffenmuseums. In 1887 he was named a Knight in the Order of Franz Joseph. His name lives on as in 1924 a street in Vienna’s Hietzing district was named after him. The bronze is signed and dated (1907) to the base.