Attributed to Harry Bates ARA (British, 1850-1899), a patinated bronze model of Pandora, probably a maquette, the kneeling figure portrayed holding a casket, mounted to a cuboid green serpentine plinth, the bronze 9cm high, 16cm high overall including base Harry Bates was an important part of the late 19th century New Sculpture movement, alongside renowned sculptors such as Frederic, Lord Leighton and Sir Alfred Gilbert. He began his career as an ornamental carver, and primarily created classically inspired reliefs during his early years. Pandora was one of Bates' first ventures into three-dimensional statuary, and is arguably his most iconic piece. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890, and entered the Tate collection the following year, having been acquired for the nation. The combination of marble with the ornately carved ivory box and precious gilt bronze demonstrates the influence of the chryselephantine sculpture popular in France, where Bates had recently trained under Auguste Rodin. The composition shows Rodin's interest in classicism, though its pensive and introspective mood is not unlike the works of Jules Dalou, under whom Bates had first studied at Lambeth School of Art. Though faithful to the composition in the Tate collection, the loose modelling and textural surface of the present work represent a contrast with the impeccably smooth surface of the larger marble, and is likely a maquette in preparation for this highly finished exhibition piece. Literature: Susan Beattie, The New Sculpture, Yale University Press, 1983, particularly pp. 166-7 David Getsy, Privileging the Object of Sculpture: Actuality and Harry Bates' Pandora of 1890, Art History, 2005, 28:1, pp. 74-95.