Allegory of vanity depicts a young woman looking at herself in a hand mirror. The elegant contrapposto, long dress, and veil give the figure an elongated silhouette, while the combination of gilded bronze and ivory enhances the decorative effect. The octagonal onyx base is complemented by a bronze frieze, lending the composition a particularly ceremonial character. The sculpture was created by Sigismund Wernekinck, who studied at the Berlin Academy and worked in Reinhold Begas's studio; it was cast by the Berlin firm Gladenbeck & Sohn.

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