Toweling Off

This bronze bathing belle poses on her marble pedestal. Wrapped in a towel, perhaps she is contemplating a dip in the waves, or maybe she is resting after a refreshing swim, as the ribbons to her bathing cap are untied, dangling down her back. Her ballet-style bathing slippers are bound with bows at her ankles. 

However, her towel swings open on a hinge, revealing that the bather has neglected to do a bit more than simply tie her bathing cap. The lovely lass has a soft golden patina, while her towel and bathing cap are darker bronze. 

Incised "Austria" on the back, this 6.5-inch mechanical bronze is yet another example of Austrian foundries' fascination with seaside wardrobe malfunctions. Beginning in the mid-19th century, Austria was famed for its foundries and ateliers producing finely crafted artistic bronzes. Although works covered a wide variety of genres, including classical studies, animals and nature, comic subjects, and Orientalist images, one speciality was erotic bronzes, often with the naughty bits initially concealed, only to be revealed by a push of a button or the moving of a piece of metal drapery.