Vestal Reviving the Sacred Fire, 18th-century French school

Young Vestal Virgin reviving the sacred fire.
Oil on canvas, French school from the first half of the 18th century, follower of Jean RAOUX 1677-1734.
In ancient Rome, the Vestals or Vestal Virgins were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The College of Vestals and its well-being were considered fundamental to the continuity and security of Rome. They cultivated the sacred fire, which was not allowed to be extinguished. The Vestals were freed from the usual social obligations of marriage and childbearing, and took a vow of chastity in order to devote themselves to the study and correct observance of state rituals that were forbidden to the male colleges of priests.
A fashionable subject at the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, when women of good standing were depicted as Vestal Virgins or repentant Magdalenes.
In good condition, relined, 19th-century painted wooden frame.