Focus on this artwork and discuss the Symbolism and influence.
There are three iconographic elements employed by Corradini in The Vestal Virgin Tuccia: the veil, the sieve, and the rose that she holds in her left hand. While it is appropriate to depict a Vestal with a veil, the shoulder-length veil called a suffibulum that covered the head but not the face of a Vestal bears little resemblance to the large clinging veils favored by the artist. Traditionally, veils are associated with modesty and chastity (e.g., in the Hebrew Bible, Rebecca covers herself with a veil before meeting Isaac). However, Corradini's treatment serves to highlight the flesh beneath the veil, in this case, her belly and breasts, which belies the theme he is purportedly portraying. Because of their association with Tuccia, sieves have always been associated with virginity. During the Renaissance, Queen Elizabeth I was famously depicted in a series of "sieve portraits" emphasizing her status as the "Virgin Queen". The iconography of roses is quite varied, ranging from victory and pride to love. In this context, the association with the purity of the Virgin Mary is probably the most apt.Nearly a decade later in Naples, Corradini again used the elements of the veil and roses when crafting his last work, La Pudicizia (variously translated as Modesty or Chastity). Although the new sculptural group is more complex than Tuccia, the artist was creating La Pudicizia in the manner of Tuccia with a very similar transparent veil over the front of the subject's torso.At the end of the 18th century, Innocenzo Spinazzi used Tuccia as his modello for a depiction of the Allegory of Faith commissioned for a chapel in Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi in Florence. A similar contrapposto stance, twisted upper torso, and a long contour-hugging veil characterize the sculpture.In the mid-19th century, there was a resurgence in popularity of the veiled woman motif after the example of Corradini partially due to the image of a veiled woman becoming an allegory for Italian unification. Artists including Giovanni Strazza, Raffaelle Monti, Pietro Rossi, and Giovanni Maria Benzoni contributed to the genre. Monti's kneeling Veiled Vestal represents a more modest approach to the Vestal Virgin subject.
Vestal Virgin Faith Tuccia Florence Giovanni Strazza Raffaelle Monti Pietro Rossi Rebecca sieve Queen Elizabeth I iconographic Naples iconography Veil contrapposto Italian unification Hebrew Bible veil Isaac left modello Modesty Giovanni Maria Benzoni Elizabeth I Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi Innocenzo Spinazzi La Pudicizia rose Virgin Mary Veiled Vestal