In 1892, architect Stanford White commissioned Saint-Gaudens to design a monumental weather vane to adorn the top of his Madison Square Garden arena in Manhattan. For the project, the two men decided to portray Diana, the classical Roman goddess of the hunt, and Saint-Gaudens devised a pose that showed a lithe, nude Diana delicately balanced on one foot and aiming her bow. Installed in 1891 and redesigned in 1893, the sculpture became a popular artistic landmark in New York City, presiding over the Garden until the building was demolished in 1925.

White admired Diana so much that in 1894 he asked Saint-Gaudens to produce this half-size cement version for display in the garden of his estate. It was later used as the basis for additional reproductions, including a large gilt example on display in Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth.

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)