#early 1800s

Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
“Herm of a Vestal Virgin” (1821–1822)
Marble
Neoclassical
Located in the Getty Center, Los Angeles, California, United States

Vestal Virgins, consecrated to Vesta, Roman goddess of the hearth, served in temples as guardians of an eternal, sacred flame and were expected to emulate the goddess’s purity and chastity.

James Pradier (1790-1852)
“Hurt Niobid” (1822)
Marble
Neoclassical
Located in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

In Greek mythology, the Niobids were the children of Amphion of Thebes and Niobe, slain by Apollo and Artemis because Niobe had boastfully compared her greater number of children with those of Leto, Apollo’s and Artemis’ mother; this is a classic example of hubris.

Léon Cogniet (1794-1880)
“Massacre of the Innocents” (1824)
Oil on canvas
Located in the Musée des beaux-arts de Rennes, Rennes, France

Daniël Dupré (1751-1817)
“Arcadian Landscape with Setting Sun” (1792-1809)
Oil on canvas
Located in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761-1845)
“A Painter’s Studio” (c. 1800)
Oil on canvas
Located in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, United States