Libero Andreotti

Libero Andreotti is considered one of the most prominent Italian sculptors of the early 20th century. Having trained as a sculptor in Florence and Milan, Andreotti lived in Paris between 1907 and 1914, where he was influenced by Bourdelle and Joseph Bernard. He exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1910 and 1911. 

It was during his Parisian period that Andreotti conceived this elegant model of Femme au paon (Woman with a Peacock). The model has been associated with the legendary ballerina Ida Rubinstein, who performed the 'Dance of the Seven Veils' in her own staging of Oscar Wilde's Salomé to great notoriety in 1908. It is likely that Andreotti also took inspiration from Aubrey Beardsley's illustrations for Wilde's book, which included the famous Peacock Skirt.