It has been traditionally assumed that Gauguin modeled this Polynesian-like figure in Tahiti. However, virtually all of Gauguin's raw clay sculptures disintegrated in the island's tropical climate, even those which like the present work were given a protective coating of wax. It is therefore more likely that Gauguin executed this figure while back in France, and comparing the clay to that used in other works, it may have been done around 1894. Curt Valentin (Buchholz Gallery) had Valsuani cast ten examples in bronze during the 1950s.