The masterpiece of Robert Walter Weir's maturity, this scene depicts the consecration of a novice into the Catholic church, a scene witnessed by the artist decades earlier in Rome in the Church of San Guiseppe. Dressed in a white wedding gown, the young woman kneels before the bishop and bows her head to receive the chaplet, a symbol of purity, while her mother, in red, nods consent. Although Roman Catholic ritual was a mystery to many Americans at the time, Weir's message of solemn spiritual commitment transcended the Catholic ceremony. A professor of art at West Point known primarily as a history painter, Weir was also the period's leading American painter of religious themes.

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      1826年, 美国画家罗伯特·沃尔特·威尔在罗马游学期间，洛伦扎纳家宣布将女儿卡洛塔送进乌尔苏拉会修道院做见习修女，公众对这位年轻美丽名媛的各种好奇与惋惜让此次仪式备受关注。威尔在现场素描速记, 见证了当时的情景,，约40年后呈现出此作品。

      庄严肃穆的教堂, 阳光透过高大的彩色玻璃窗在墙上投下斑驳光影, 帘幕下的祭台聚集着神职人员, 神甫在主持发愿仪式,年轻的姑娘身着白衣,头戴白色薄纱, 跪在祭台前, 双手合十, 神情庄重, 周围地面散落花瓣, 众多信众在台下观礼。

      在一些宗教派别中，接受面纱是信徒成为修女的仪式。中世纪的已婚妇女通常会戴着遮住头发的面纱出门，而修女的面纱就是沿用了中世纪风俗的款式，表明她们是“基督的新娘”。通常见习期（暂愿）戴白色面纱，终身愿则是黑色面纱。