La Maternité was originally sculpted in 1916 and was intended as a study for a larger statue Renoir wanted placed at his wife's tomb. This particular bronze was cast by the renowned Valsuani foundry of Paris. It is believed that it is based upon Renoir's painting entitled Maternité dit aussi L'Enfant au sein housed at the Musée d'Orsay. The painting was executed in the first few months after his son's birth on March 21, 1885. From its intimate portrayal of such a nurturing act, it is clear to see why the artist would choose to recapture the tender moment in sculpture.

Renoir was not a prolific sculptor, since arthritis crippled his hands just around the time he began working in the art form. During this period, many sculptors, including the great Rodin, employed young assistants, and in 1913, Renoir hired sculptor Richard Guino, who soon proved to have an uncanny ability to understand and translate Renoir's style, thus helping the artist to create some of his greatest works. For many years after Renoir's death, Guino's role was downplayed to the point of barely being mentioned. After a lengthy lawsuit with the Renoir estate, Guino finally received recognition for his role in this partnership in the 1980s, several decades after Renoir's death.

Almost all of the bronzes created by Renoir and Guino are in museums today, and when these incredible works appear at auction, they are eagerly sought after by the greatest museums in the world and private collectors.

The Valsuani foundrywas started in 1899 by the brothers Claude and Attilio Valsuani. They began casting mostly small works for various artists primarily using the lost wax technique, or "cire perdue." Among the famed sculptors who had the Valsuani foundry cast their works were Renoir, Picasso, Matisse, and Gaugin. Claude Valsuani died in 1923 in his native Italy, but his son, Marcele took over running the foundry and continued to produce extremely fine detailed bronzes until the 1970's.