The Vestal Virgin

David painted The Vestal Virgin around 1783, depicting a young Roman priestess of the sacred fire of Vesta who was dedicated to maintaining the eternal flame in the temple. The subject was a vehicle for the Neoclassical ideal of female virtue combined with ancient Roman religious observance, the vestal's white robes and the sacred fire giving the composition its symbolic content. David's mature style — the archaeological Roman setting, the classical figure organization, the controlled palette — is already fully formed in this work from the period immediately preceding the Oath of the Horatii that would bring him his definitive fame.

David renders the vestal with sculptural precision and an austere palette, the white robes and sacred fire creating a composition of classical simplicity. The clear drawing and restrained coloring demonstrate his mature Neoclassical approach to the female figure.