The Vestal Virgin Tuccia with a Sieve

Tuccia was a Vestal Virgin. When her chastity was questioned she proved her innocence by carrying a sieve full of water from the Tiber to the Temple of Vesta. She was celebrated in Pliny's 'Natural History' (28: 12) and Petrarch's 'Triumph of Chastity'.

This panel and 'A Woman Drinking' are obviously related despite their differing size and being lit from opposite directions. They are painted in simulation of gilt bronze against a fictive background of coloured marble. Isabella d'Este had 'feigned bronze' picture by Mantegna in her studiolo, and these may have been for a similar interior.