This plaster cast is the model for two bronze monuments erected in Lyon (1904) and Les Vans (1905) in honor of Dr. Léopold Ollier (1830–1900). Born in Les Vans, Ollier was appointed chief surgeon at the Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon in 1860 and professor at the city’s faculty of medicine in 1877. He is considered the founder of modern orthopedic surgery, having pioneered decisive advances in reconstructive surgery that utilized the regenerative properties of bone to avoid amputation. He notably applied these innovative principles during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, where he was intensely active before being taken prisoner by the Prussians.

The doctor is depicted holding a scalpel, dressed in his academic robes, and wearing the insignia of a Commander of the Legion of Honor. The Lyon monument was funded through an international subscription; its scale reflects the physician's immense renown at the time—so much so that the remaining funds helped finance the statue in Les Vans. Gabriel Bonvalot, Ollier’s son-in-law and a close associate of the sculptor Alfred Boucher, may have been responsible for commissioning the work. In fact, the doctor owned at least one of the artist's sculptures in his private collection: a marble version of Nude in Front of a Seascape, which is also held at the Musée Camille Claudel.

While the inhabitants of Les Vans managed to save their monument, the Lyon statue was melted down during World War II as part of the Vichy government’s mobilization of non-ferrous metals.