Biography of Rafael Monty

Rafal Monty. Today we will get acquainted with the works of the Italian sculptor Rafael Monti GG. He was one of the sculptors who managed to create real masterpieces of Vestals with a marble veil - the priestesses of the Greek goddess Vesta. A native of Milan, he took his first steps under the leadership of his father, also a sculptor, Gaetano Matteo Monty, at the Imperial Academy.

He made his debut early and won a gold medal for a group called “Alexander taps Bucephalus. For some time he works in Vienna, and in Milan, makes his first visit to England in, but returned to Italy in the year and joined the national party, became one of the main officers of the National Guard.

After the catastrophic failure of the liberation movement of the year, he again fled from Italy to England. The career in England was very successful and fruitful of the work of Monty at the Royal Academy, and he soon earned a recognition as the leading sculptor. Subtle processing of solid marble figures wrapped in transparent veils. The sculpture of Vestalka, which you see in the illustration, depicts Vesta's priestess - Vestalka covered with a veil.

Vesta-Roman goddess-guardian of the sacred fire, symbolizing the center of life-state, cities, houses. It was believed that in any fire there is a particle of the spirit of Vesta. Soft flowing folds are so skillfully carved by the sculptor that they come to life in the sun, passing the light. The effect is enhanced by a contrast with a wreath of wildflowers, devoid of polishing.

The marble in the front is surprisingly clean, practically does not have visible defects and inclusions, revealing all its nobility and beauty. Their person was inviolable. Vestals were freed from their father’s authorities, had the right to own property and dispose of it at their discretion. In some way, Vestalka, for example, tried to slip under her stretcher, was punished by death.

Ahead of Vestalka was a lictor, under certain conditions, Vestals had the right to leave in chariots. If they met on the way a criminal who was led to execution, they had the right to have mercy on him. The duties of Vestals included maintaining the sacred fire in the Temple of Vesta, observing the purity of the temple, the commission of Veste and Penators, the protection of Palladium and other shrines.

At first there were only six of them, when the vacancy was released, they chose from 20 girls from 6 to 10 years of noble origin. The Vestalovs entering the community was introduced primarily into the atrium of the Temple of Vesta, where her hair was cut and hung as a donation to the sacred tree, which was more than years in the era of Pliny. Then the young vestal was dressed in everything white, called her with the name “Beloved”, which was added to her name and devoted her to new duties.

The service life was 30 years, which divided equal parts for training, directly the service and training of other mentoring. After these years, Vestalka became free and could get married. However, the latter happened extremely rarely, since there was a belief that marriage with Vestalka would not lead to good, and in addition, getting married, the former Vestalka lost her social and property status unique for a Roman woman and became an ordinary sailor, completely dependent on her husband, which, of course, was unprofitable for her.

Vestals were very rich, mainly because of the ownership of large estates that gave great income, in addition to which everyone personally received a significant amount from their family and received generous gifts from the emperors. In 24, when Cornelia entered the number of Vestals, Tiberius gave her 2 million sisters. All the time of service, Vestalka had to maintain a chaste lifestyle, its violation was strictly punishable.

It was believed that Rome could not take on such a sin as the execution of Vestals, so they were punished by burial alive on the field located in the city of the Collinsky Gate on the Quirinal with a small supply of food, which was formally not the death penalty, and the seducer was detected to death. The guilty of violation of the vow Vestalka was planted in tightly closed and tied with belts of a stretcher so that even her voices were not heard, and carried through the forum.

Everyone silently gave her the way and escorted her, without saying a word, in a deep grief. There was no worse for the city, there was no day, sadder than that. When the stretchers were brought to the appointed place, the slaves untied the belts. The supreme priest read a mysterious prayer, raised his hands to the sky before execution, ordered to bring the criminal, with a thick veil on his face, put on the stairs leading in the dungeon, and then retired along with other priests.

When Vestalka went, the staircase was taken away, the hole was covered with a mass of land, and the place of execution becomes as smoothly as the rest.The Vestalka Institute lasted about a year, when Emperor Theodosius prohibited public pagan religion. After that, the sacred fire was extinguished, the Temple of Vesta was closed, and the Vestabok Institute was disbanded.

Raffaelle Monti, The Bride, Original in Marble, a dream of sorrow and the joy of a dream. London G. was issued by ceramic and Crystal Palace Union of Artists, and exhibited at the International Exhibition in London Antonio Corrardini.