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It is not entirely clear whether 'Woman with apple' was one of the last sculptures made by Dick Loef. The fact is that the bronze sculpture was only placed on the Esmoreitplein in 1984, while the artist had died a year earlier. It was a so-called BKR work and a place for it was found on this square. Between 1956 and 1987, the Beeldende Kunstenaars Regeling ensured that artists could receive wages from the government in exchange for work.

Loef's wife is crouching. Her questioning gaze is tilted upwards, as if she is communicating with someone opposite. Everything indicates that she is offering the shiny apple she holds in her outstretched hand to a random passer-by. Wearing a headscarf and a long skirt, she looks like a countrywoman trying to sell her wares at the side of the road.

Loef trained at the Free Academy in The Hague from 1948 to 1952. In 1949 he received turning lessons from ceramist Gerrit de Blanken in Leiderdorp and in 1953 he received a scholarship which enabled him to further develop his ceramic qualities. Apart from being a sculptor, Loef also manifested himself as an independent potter in the Hague region. He was commissioned to make ceramic reliefs for the office building of VAM in Voorschoten, an LTS in Rijswijk and a district police station in The Hague.

The famous (also deceased) children's book author Max Velthuijs shared a courtyard with his friend and neighbour Dick Loef. Together they created an oasis of peace on the Veenkade in The Hague, where fantasy and storytelling could thrive. Both were storytellers. One used words, the other preferred the narrative image. Both spoke the clear, understandable and imaginative language of the child.