Dobson studied with his father and in the studio of Sir William Reynolds-Stephens. He held his first one-man show of sculpture in 1921 and during the 1920s and 1930s was as highly regarded as Epstein. This bronze of around 1922-24 was produced in an edition of three casts. Its pose reflects the influence of paintings by Matisse. Originally simply called 'Seated Woman', the bather-like attitude of the figure suggested its subsequent, biblical title.