The ''Veiled Vestal'' is an 1847 sculpture by Rafaelle Monti. It was commissioned by

William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, (21 May 1790 K. D. Reynolds, ‘Cavendish, William George Spencer, sixth duke of Devonshire (1790–1858)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; ...

during an 1846 trip to Naples. It is a representation of a

Vestal Virgin In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals ( la, Vestālēs, singular ) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty ...

, the priestesses of the

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

goddess Vesta. The subject was popular at this time due to the then recent discovery of the

House of the Vestals The House of the Vestal Virgins (; it, Casa delle Vestali) was the residence of Vestal Virgins, located behind the circular Temple of Vesta at the eastern edge of the Roman Forum, between the Regia and the Palatine Hill. The ''domus publica'', whe ...

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 Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694–1753 ...

. The ''Veiled Vestal'' was moved to

Chatsworth House Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the House of Cavendish, Cavendish family sin ...

, the seat of the

Cavendish family The Cavendish (or de Cavendish) family ( ) is a British noble family, of Anglo-Norman origins (though with an Anglo-Saxon name, originally from a place-name in Suffolk). They rose to their highest prominence as Duke of Devonshire and Duke of Newc ...

, in 1999. In 2005 it appeared in

Joe Wright Joseph Wright (born 25 August 1972) is an English film director residing in Somerset, England. His motion pictures include the literary adaptations '' Pride & Prejudice'' (2005), ''Atonement'' (2007), ''Anna Karenina'' (2012), and ''Cyrano'' ( ...

's ''Pride and Prejudice'' film. The sculpture was featured prominently in a scene where the protagonist

Elizabeth Bennet Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist in the 1813 novel '' Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen. She is often referred to as Eliza or Lizzy by her friends and family. Elizabeth is the second child in a family of five daughters. Though the ci ...

visits

Pemberley Pemberley is the fictional country estate owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy, the male protagonist in Jane Austen's 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice''. It is located near the fictional town of Lambton, and believed by some to be based on Lyme Park, south ...

, the house of

Mr. Darcy Fitzwilliam Darcy Esquire, generally referred to as Mr. Darcy, is one of the two central characters in Jane Austen's 1813 novel '' Pride and Prejudice''. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Benn ...

. One critic noted that the sculpture was used as a representation of Elizabeth, with the flame representing her

sexual desire Sexual desire is an emotion and motivational state characterized by an interest in sexual objects or activities, or by a drive to seek out sexual objects or to engage in sexual activities. It is an aspect of sexuality, which varies significantly ...

and the veil her failure to see Darcy "for what he is". In 2019 the sculpture was transported to New York to feature in a 12-week exhibition of works from Chatsworth.

Description

The sculpture is a marble representation of a veiled

, the priestesses of Vesta, goddess of hearth and home, whose duty it was to keep a sacred fire burning in her temple in

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

. The Vestal Virgins were a popular subject of the time following the discovery of the

Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...

in the previous century. The choice of a veiled figure continued a trend for sculptors of the time to depict flowing fabrics in marble form, a revival of a practice used by ancient sculptors.

History

commissioned the sculpture from Rafaelle Monti on 18 October 1846, having visited Monti's studio a week earlier. Cavendish gave Monti a £60 deposit (equivalent to £ today) for the work on 19 October. Cavendish requested a depiction, in marble, of a veiled woman. Such sculptures, imitating translucent fabrics, were popular at the time and Cavendish's close friend, the sculptor

Antonio Canova Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the cl ...

, was a particular admirer of

Giuseppe Sanmartino Giuseppe Sanmartino or Giuseppe Sammartino (1720 – 1793) was an Italian sculptor during the Rococo period. Sanmartino was born in Naples. His first dated (1753) work is '' Veiled Christ'' or ''Christ lying under the Shroud'', commissioned initia ...

's 1753 '' Veiled Christ''. Monti completed the sculpture by April 1847. Cavendish appears to have displayed the work at his west London

. The sculpture made Monti famous in his field. After joining the failed 1848 revolutions against Austrian rule, he moved to London where he became known for creating works similar to the ''Veiled Vestal''. Monti used the "veiled virgin" motif in many sculptures and helped to inspire a "

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...

" for this type of figure. He became a busy commercial artist and his veiled ''A Circassian Slave in the Market Place at Constantinople'' (afterwards also purchased by Cavendish) was featured in the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary The Crystal Palace, structure in which it was held), was an International Exhib ...

of 1851 along with the ''Vestal Virgin'' and other examples of his work. Despite this Monti ended his career in debt, forced to sell his sculpting tools, and died in 1881 in the house of German watchmaker in London. The ''Veiled Vestal'' was brought to

, which remains the seat of the

, in 1999. In May 2019 the sculpture was removed from public display and transported to

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

, New York, where it formed part of the 12-week ''Treasures from Chatsworth'' exhibition, designed by

David Korins David Korins (born August 4, 1976) is a creative director and the principal designer of Korins. Career Korins has designed more than 20 Broadways shows including ''Hamilton'' (Tony Award nomination), ''Dear Evan Hansen, Beetlejuice'' (Tony Awa ...

. The 42 items in the exhibition were selected by

Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire, (also known as "Stoker"; born 27 April 1944) is an English peer. He is the only surviving son of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, the former Deborah Mitford. He ...

and his wife Amanda.

Appearance in ''Pride and Prejudice''

In 2005 the sculpture appeared in

's film ''Pride and Prejudice''. Chatsworth House stood in for the book's

estate, the home of

. In the film

, played by

Keira Knightley Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...

, pays a visit to Pemberley and is given a tour of the house. One scene shows her in the house's sculpture gallery. The first sculpture shown is the ''Veiled Vestal'', with the camera focusing on the figure's face whilst panning around it. It then cuts to show a wider view with Elizabeth closely regarding the figure's face while the camera pans around the rear of the sculpture. Elizabeth then moves away after glancing at the rest of the figure. The scene was written to be set in a gallery of paintings but was altered to make use of the sculpture gallery at Chatsworth. Later in the scene Elizabeth views other sculptures in the gallery and it ends with her long contemplation upon a bust of Mr. Darcy, her future husband. Susan Felleman (2014) suggests that the sculpture is used in the film as a representation of Elizabeth. She considers that the figure's flame reflects Elizabeth's "virginal sexual desire" and the veil represents the things that have previously "prevented her from seeing Darcy for what he is". She also notes that Vesta's role as the goddess of hearth and home, with traditional links to wifely duties, represents Elizabeth's potential as a wife to Darcy.

References

{{reflist 1847 sculptures Sculptures of women in England Marble sculptures in the United Kingdom Cavendish family Veiled sculptures Vesta (mythology)

Description

History

Appearance in ''Pride and Prejudice''

See also

References