Augusto Santo developed the concept of symbolism in sculpture, patent in idealized works such as “Ismael” and “The Bust of a Sphinx”. They are the only ones that remain from a brief and frustrated career that lead the artist to destroy a great part of his works.

The museum conserves the original of this work in plaster, from the end of the course at the Academia Portuense de Belas-Artes, onto which the artist seems to have projected his unfortunate destiny.