Josef Mario Korbel (1882-1954)

'Andante', also known as 'Dancing Girls', is one of Korbel's most celebrated classical works. According to Joan M. Marter, in 1917 Korbel cast 'Andante' in a series of seven bronzes measuring 29 inches high. Later, in 1926, he cast at least two large versions, including the present work. Another example of this work is in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Early in his career, Korbel, like many sculptors of the late 19th Century that came before him, looked back at early Greek sculpture for inspiration. Embodying a classical sense of proportion and rhythm, 'Andante' captures two women in a slow and ritualistic dance. Increased by the figures' repeated form and mirrored gaze, the sculpture personifies grace, elegance and maidenly perfection.

The model for the present work was Hilda Beyer, a dancer who became Korbel's love interest and later his wife.