In Italy during the 1700s, sculptures of veiled figures peaked in popularity, affording artists the chance to demonstrate their ability to delicately carve marble. Nearly two hundred years later, artists revived this technically demanding tradition in reaction to the academic neoclassicism of the early-19th century. Raffaelo Monti is known for marble busts draped in filmy veils such as this one, subtly modeled to suggest feminine allure. The heightened realism and sensuous appeal of 19th-century figures made sculpture once again a fashionable decorative element in upper-middle-class houses.