Portrait of a Woman as a Vestal Virgin
by KAUFFMANN, Angelica, Oil on canvas, 60 x 41 cm
In this painting, the young woman is dressed as a vestal virgin - one of the maidens who looked after the Temple of Minerva - offering a sacrifice to the goddess, whose sculpted image appears in the background. The painting contains a number of elements which can be related to Reynolds’ painting and with English painting in general, making it likely that it was painted during Kauffmann’s English period.