Marble Vestals From The Early 19th Century

Vestals holding the sacred fire, two statuettes in white marble and gilded bronze in neoclassical style.
Italy (?), late 18th or early 19th century.
Very good state.

If we are to believe Roman authors, the cult of Vesta was created by Numa Pompilius, a semi-mythical Roman king who was in power from -715 to -673 BC. Unlike the majority of cults Roman clerics, women were in charge of the veneration of Vesta. The home was sacred to this goddess, one of the three main virgin goddesses of Rome along with Athena and Diana. The rites surrounding the Vestal Virgins remained much the same from the time of the Roman Republic until the fourth century AD. Six virgin priestesses devoted all their time to Vesta and had their own residence, the Atrium Vestae or house of the Vestal Virgins, which is located in the Roman Forum. The long tradition of the Vestal Virgins provided the Romans with reassuring continuity and may explain the traditional circular shape of the Temple of Vesta, a style associated with the rustic huts that dotted the city long ago. It is in this place of worship located along the Atrium that the priestesses watched over the sacred fire of the goddess. Once a year, in March, they rekindled the fire and then made sure it burned for the rest of the year. Their work was not to be taken lightly as the fire was linked to the city's fortunes. If it were to be neglected, misfortune would befall Rome.