This is one of Pompeo Batoni’s most engaging female portraits, painted at the end of his career. The identity of the sitter has long since been lost, although she was evidently in Rome in 1785. The composition and
pointed gaze suggest that this portrait was once accompanied by a companion painting, perhaps a portrait of her husband. Although her clothes and hair reflect the very latest fashions, Batoni has given her a veil
and pose reminiscent of ancient Roman sculptures of the Vestal Virgins, a subtle allusion to the virtue of chastity.
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