Veiled Vestal

Common card · No. 426649

The Veiled Vestal (Italian: La vestale velata) is an 1847 sculpture by Raffaelle Monti. It was commissioned by William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire during an 1846 trip to Naples. It is a representation of a Vestal Virgin, the priestesses of the Ancient Roman goddess Vesta. The subject was popular at this time due to the then recent discovery of the House of the Vestals in Pompeii. The depiction of translucent fabrics was popular at the time and Monti was requested to use the technique in this sculpture. Monti completed the sculpture in April 1847 and it was afterwards displayed at Cavendish's West London Chiswick House. The Veiled Vestal was moved to Chatsworth House, the seat of the Cavendish family, in 1999. In 2005 it appeared in Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice film. The sculpture was featured prominently in a scene where the protagonist Elizabeth Bennet visits Pemberley, the house of Mr. Darcy. One critic noted that the sculpture was used as a representation of Elizabeth...

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