VESTAL VIRGIN

18th Century

These priestesses were among the most important in ancient Rome guarding the sacred flame of Vesta which burnt for over a thousand years only being extinguished under orders of the Christian emperor Theodosius in 394 AD. Picked form noble families at the age of 6 Vestals swore an oath of 30 years celibacy and were thought to hold magical powers and have a key role in the safety of Rome. This bust is carved from the finely grained Solnhofen limestone which has given the artist the ability to sculpt far more sensitive detail than would usually be achievable in a material such as marble. The subject was popular in the courts of renaissance and baroque Europe as vestals became symbols of womanly virtue. Later they became popular in revolutionary France where they were compared with the purity of the state.