Hosmer was an American neoclassical sculptor born in Massachusetts in 1830, and is widely regarded as the first professional female sculptor in the United States.
She spent much of her career in Rome, where she developed an international reputation in a field that was overwhelmingly dominated by men.
Hosmer was also openly gay during a time when same-sex relationships were widely condemned, and in some places illegal.
Chorley’s plans to host another auction for the sculpture in the future.