This beautiful bust of a woman whose face is veiled in diaphanous drapery all'antica is reminiscent of the work of the Milanese sculptor, Raffaelle Monti (1818-1881), who won acclaim for his ethereal veiled marble maidens. His celebrated Vestal Virgin is among the highlights of the Sculpture Gallery at Chatsworth.
Cesare Lapini specialised in allegorical and genre subjects, as well as models after the antique, which he sold with great success from his Florence workshop to an elite global clientele. Lapini achieved outstanding effects of surface texture in his compositions.