This sculpture is cast from a living model. De Andrea's objective was to make his figures as life-like as possible, and this work has been meticulously painted, so that no joins or other clues to its construction are evident. De Andrea's earlier figures had been made to stand on the floor or sit on real chairs. With 'Model in Repose' the artist considered he had attained such a perfect match of realism and beauty that he could place the work, literally, on a pedestal.