La petite laveuse accroupie

One of the founders of French impressionism, Renoir used even looser and more expressive brushwork in his later paintings. Toward the end of his career, he turned to sculpture. When his arthritis worsened, he took on Richard Guido as an assistant, who molded the clay under Renoir’s supervision. This sculpture is thought to be a preliminary work to "Large Washerwoman" (1917). Most of Renoir’s bronzes are recasts like this one, made from the original mold after the artist’s death. This practice is fairly common with bronzes; Renoir made only six bronze casts himself.