Art Deco Bathing Beauty with Hoop and Dog signed Bousquet

A magnificent statue of Bathing Beauty teaching her dog to jump through hoops. Her swimsuit and cap are stylized, full of polka dots and cold painted as well as gilded. Her features are quite perfect : her youthful cheeks and lips, beautifully rendered hands and feet and a lovely pose. All of this is mounted on an exceptional piece of marble with great veining and pattern.

Nude representations of the female form  have always had a major place in the history of sculpture, but this new playful athleticism was really a hallmark of the early 20th Century showing women pursuing sports, dance, hunting and more. The Australian Annette Kellerman is credited with popularizing real "swimming" (not merely dipping toes in the water) as well as the one piece bathing suit in 1907. Womens' Swimming was added to the Olympics in 1912.

This is an impressive sculpture, a good size, really well done and having gained a rich patina over time.  The signature of Bousquet appears on the edge of her bathing costume.