Trained as a painter, William Zorach did not produce his first sculpture (a wood relief) until he was thirty-one. He went on to make his greatest artistic contributions in sculpture and became the most influential direct carver of the early twentieth century. Inspired by African art, Zorach favored simplified, compact forms with rich textures. This work, though cast in bronze, dates from the year following Zorach's first experiments in carving stone. Executed based on drawings rather than modeled clay, his sculpture from this period conveys a sensuous intimacy and graceful repose.