Story of the Vestal Virgin Tuccia (front), Vigilance (left side), Obedience (right side) (Primary Title)
Cassone (marriage chest) (Object Name)
Scenes from the Legend of Tuccia (Former Title)
Workshop of, Francesco Di Giorgio Martini, Italian, Sienese, 1439 - 1501 (front panel) (Artist)
Domenico di Michelino, Italian, Florentine, 1417 - 1491 (side panels) (Artist)
In the painting on the front of this chest, a follower of the Sienese artist Francesco di Giorgio or a member of his workshop recasts an ancient Roman story in a Renaissance setting.
Tuccia, a priestess of the goddess Vesta, was falsely accused of impurity. The artist depicts her defending her honor by performing a remarkable task. In the panel on the right, Tuccia dips her sieve into the Tiber River, and in the center left, she miraculously carries the water-filled sieve—a sign of her virtue—to the other priestesses at the temple. The priestesses wear the garments of 15th-century Christian nuns and the setting of the painting is a city composed of landmarks from ancient Rome and Renaissance Siena.
The painting originally decorated a cassone (wedding chest) as an example and reminder of virtuous behavior for the bride who stored her dowry goods in it. The mostly reconstructed, 19th-century chest that now houses the painting gives some sense of the lost original.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
