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Taking careful steps, a woman comes towards us, holding what at first glance looks like a deep circular tray. She is the Vestal Virgin Tuccia and the object she carries is, in fact, a sieve. Vestal Virgins maintained the fire in the temple of the chaste goddess Vesta in Rome. Their virginity was crucial, but Tuccia’s was challenged. In order to prove it, and knowing that she had divine assistance, she gathered water from the river Tiber in a sieve and carried it to the temple. She predicted – correctly – that none of it would be lost, and that this would prove her virginity. Mantegna has painted her in imitation of bronze relief sculptures set against a marble background – he was showing that he could rival the work of sculptors by imitating their material so brilliantly.
Title
The Vestal Virgin Tuccia with a sieve
Date
about 1495-1506
Medium
Tempera on poplar
Measurements
H 72.5 x W 23 cm
Accession number
NG1125.1
Acquisition method
Bought, 1882
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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