The idealized, modern nymph who graces the Garden’s central walkway, known as the “bronze allée,” recalls the garden traditions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Georg Kolbe, who began sculpting at the beginning of this century, brought the traditions of neoclassicism to the sculpture of his day and was particularly inspired by the work of Auguste Rodin. The lyrical grace of this piece from the mid-1920s represents a highpoint in his mature style. Although some of his sculptures were banned during the Nazi era, he continued to work, but in a more acceptable, heroic style that never again achieved the rhythmic beauty of such earlier works as this one.