In this unique volume, David Bogosian focuses a personal aesthetic analysis on five relatively obscure works of statuary from the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Three are in marble, two are in bronze; all five feature a youthful feminine form of exquisite beauty, while two add animals to the composition. All of them are dated between 1860 and 1930. And there the similarities end.

Through more than sixty full-colour photographs, Bogosian draws attention to the overall artistic arrangement in each work, followed by highly detailed views of particular aspects of each statue. The reader is led to consider each piece from numerous perspectives and with a variety of points of interest. Interpretive notes follow each group of photographs.

Taken together, these five remarkable statues epitomise that which is most captivating and most alluring in woman: her voluptuous curvature, her enigmatic and often hidden emotions, and her graceful movements in dance and step.