Enrico Fanfani
(Italian, 1824-1885)

"A Sacrificial Offering to the Goddess Vesta"

oil on canvas
signed lower left.
In an opulent and impressive gessoed and carved giltwood pierced frame with exuberant foliate motif.
33" x 23-1/2", framed 56" x 44"

Provenance: Private collection, Galveston, Texas.

Notes: The virgin Vesta was the goddess of hearth and home and as such was considered one of the guardians of Rome. Her festival was one of the most crucial rituals in the pagan calendar and the only one in which women took an active role and were the main participants. Fanfani has here employed a color palette of burnished browns, golds, creams and peach tones, creating a subdued atmosphere of intense personal contemplation. He has chosen the praefatio, or purification, portion of the ritual, the moment when communion with the deity has commenced. The young officiant sits quietly beside the bronze thymiaterion, gazing into the smoke produced by the eagle-sided incense burner.

**Light surface dirt and toning of the varnish layer. Signs of inpainting upper mid-right (top of shoulder and background). Smaller areas of inpainting upper right (background), areas of lower left (background by dress) and mid-right (dress by elbow and arm band). A few small areas of inpainting scattered lower center (dress) and upper right (background). Discoloration of varnish, lower center by edge (dress). Frame: Elaborate, ornate gilt frame with surface marks, nicks, cracks and small losses throughout. Signs of past restoration.