Two Standing Women Flanking an Opening onto a Landscape, Two Pedistals with Urns at Right (from Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

Here we have a pen and ink drawing by Thomas Sully, in which two women stand guard, flanking an opening onto a landscape. The urns to the right, emblems of mourning and remembrance, root us in the classical tradition, echoing those found in ancient Roman burial grounds. Note how the women are draped; these are the vestals, guardians of sacred knowledge. Their presence is reminiscent of figures from Pompeian frescoes, watching, waiting, as if frozen in time. A similar motif of women guarding thresholds appears in Renaissance paintings. The image brings to mind ideas of transition and protection. This juxtaposition elicits a sense of longing, inviting contemplation on themes of memory and the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. This echoes ancient rituals and beliefs, where symbolic urns represent not just loss, but also the continuity of the soul and spirit.