A Vestal Virgin, at any rate - presumed portrait of mlle Bourgevin de Linas, by Alexandre Roslin, 1756

 

This portrait of a lady as a Vestal Virgin, signed and dated Roslin le suedois/1756, is said to portray a certain mademoiselle Bourgevin de Linas. Whether or not it does will have to remain a mystery it seems. And as I've been unable to discover any pertinent genealogical records related to that name, any actual young lady of the Bourgevin de Linas family will also continue to elude us. Alors tant pis ! 

In Roslin's work, the details are always vividly described and the handling of textures precise... and exquisite. In this painting, for me, the "star of the show", even more than the perfectly executed white satin, is the beautiful, shimmering scarf.

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This portrait has been featured once before on this blog, included in a large group of Roslin's portraits.