Hebe is the goddess of youth, who in ancient mythology served the drink of immortality to the other Greek gods. In her jug, she therefore carries precious drops that must be carefully managed and distributed, and she is clearly focused on the task. However, according to the myth, things went wrong for Hebe when she accidentally spilled the precious drops and was dismissed from her duties.

Thorvaldsen created two versions of Hebe: the first in 1806, where one of her breasts is exposed, and another statue from 1816, which is almost identical to the first, but with her draped gown now fully covering her chest. – The present sculpture is based on this version.