The prototype of the The Bather or Baigneuse, was executed by Etienne-Maurice Falconet circa 1750 and was first exhibited in the Salon of 1757 described as 'no. 131 - Nymphe qui descend du bain'. Shortly after it entered the collection of Mme Du Barry at Louveciennes until seized during the French revolution. It was subsequently documented in 1824 in the Grand Trianon at Versailles, and finally moved to Louvre circa 1855 where it remains today (inv. M.R. 1846).
Falconet almost certainly adapted his pose from a painting of the same subject by François Lemoyne of 1724, which was itself very often copied in the first half of the 18th century. The Bather's popularity was such that as late as 1775 Pajou executed a bust of Madame du Barry with her hair arranged 'in the manner of Falconet's Bather' (G. Levitine, The Sculpture of Falconet, New York, 1972., pp. 31 - 33). Its success led to reproductions in all media throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, as seen with the present example.
A similar, though slightly smaller, example was sold Christie’s, London, 4-25 February 2021, lot 81 (£16,250).