Three Dancing Maidens

Identification of the original sculpture created for Rudolf Mosse in 1909, and later looted by the Nazi Party is the subject of research, which appears to be leading to the version in the Burg Schlitz castle.

[1] Dianne Durante, author of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan, wrote that "it radiates delight, in a way few sculptures match, and there isn’t any point of view that doesn’t reveal some new, graceful aspect".

Mosse, a wealthy and influential newspaper magnate in Berlin, spoke with Schott about his desire to have a fountain on the grounds of his residence on Leipziger Platz.

When Rudolf Mosse died in 1920 his estate passed onto his daughter Felicia and her husband Hans Lachmann-Mosse, including the newspaper Berliner Tageblatt.

In 1933, Nazi officer Wilhelm Ohst [de] arrived at the Mosse Palais and announced the imminent auction of all the artwork, including the fountain.

Around the early 2010s, Mersereau visited New York City, and a walk in the Conservatory Garden in Central Park drew his attention to the Untermyer Fountain.

He found two other full-size versions: one in Den Brandt Park [nl], Antwerp, and the other in the courtyard of the Burg Schlitz [de], a hotel in Mecklenburg, Germany.