Top 12 Veiled Lady Marble Statues for a Stunning Garden Vibe

Veiled marble statues turn solid stone into the illusion of transparent fabric. The tradition became especially popular from the eighteenth century onward, and its best-known subjects include the Virgin Mary, biblical figures, classical priestesses and allegorical women. This updated guide identifies the artist, date, material and present location of each work wherever reliable records are available.

Editorial note: not every image below is a unique museum masterpiece. Two are modern reproductions, and the final Luo Li Rong-inspired figure is bronze rather than marble. Those distinctions are stated clearly so readers can separate documented historic works from contemporary decorative examples.

History of veiled marble sculpture

Sculptors create the veil effect by carefully varying depth, polish and the edges of carved folds. Thin-looking areas reveal facial features beneath the stone, while deeper cuts create shadows that make the fabric appear soft. Carrara marble was favored because its fine grain supports detailed carving and takes a luminous polish.

Giovanni Strazza’s The Veiled Virgin, completed before 1856, is one of the most searched examples. Nineteenth-century artists including Raffaelle Monti, Giovanni Maria Benzoni and Chauncey Bradley Ives expanded the motif through religious, literary and classical subjects.

Veiled statue quick-reference table

#	Work	Artist / date	Material	Collection or status	Source
1	Veiled Lady Marble Bust	Mily Art workshop, contemporary	Marble	Made-to-order decorative reproduction	Product record
2	The Veiled Virgin	Giovanni Strazza, before 1856	Carrara marble	Presentation Sisters, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada	Reference overview
3	The Sleep of Sorrow and the Dream of Joy	Raffaelle Monti, 1861	Marble	Victoria and Albert Museum, London	V&A Collections
4	Sisters of Charity	Raffaelle Monti, 1847	Marble	Historic work; current public location is not consistently documented	Artist reference
5	Undine Rising from the Waters	Chauncey Bradley Ives, modeled 1880	Marble	Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven	Yale collection search
6	Veiled Rebecca	Giovanni Maria Benzoni, design 1863; several versions	Marble	Versions include the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta	Version history
7	Veiled Vestal	Raffaelle Monti, 1847	Marble	Associated with the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth	Devonshire Collections
8	Modesty, commonly called Veiled Truth	Antonio Corradini, 1752	Marble	Sansevero Chapel Museum, Naples	Museo Cappella Sansevero
9	Veiled Virgin Mary Bust	Contemporary workshop; artist not identified	Marble	Decorative reproduction / private ownership	Image and retail record
10	The Veiled Christ	Giuseppe Sanmartino, 1753	Marble	Sansevero Chapel Museum, Naples	Museo Cappella Sansevero
11	The Veiled Nun	Unknown Italian sculptor, c. 1863; formerly attributed to Giuseppe Croff	Marble	National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.	National Gallery of Art
12	Luo Li Rong-inspired Draped Woman	Contemporary; exact edition not identified	Bronze, not marble	Studio / private edition	Product record

1. Veiled Lady Marble Bust

This contemporary bust adapts the familiar veiled Virgin motif for a garden, memorial or interior setting. The flower crown and softly carved veil recall nineteenth-century works without claiming to be an original Strazza sculpture.

2. Giovanni Strazza — The Veiled Virgin, before 1856

Giovanni Strazza carved this Carrara-marble bust in Rome, probably in the early 1850s and certainly before it reached Newfoundland in 1856. The figure represents the Virgin Mary, whose facial features remain visible beneath an apparently translucent veil. The work is cared for by the Presentation Sisters in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

3. Raffaelle Monti — The Sleep of Sorrow and the Dream of Joy, 1861

Monti’s paired allegorical figures contrast sorrow with hope: one head is covered by a veil and the other is crowned with flowers. The marble group was shown at London’s International Exhibition of 1862 and entered the Victoria and Albert Museum collection. The exhibition date explains why the work is sometimes incorrectly dated 1862; the museum dates it to 1861.

4. Raffaelle Monti — Sisters of Charity, 1847

In Sisters of Charity, bowed heads and finely carved veils create a quiet devotional mood. Monti used the folds, floral wreaths and downcast expressions to demonstrate how marble could suggest both weight and transparency. Public sources identify the artist and date, but the work’s present public location is not consistently documented.

5. Chauncey Bradley Ives — Undine Rising from the Waters, modeled 1880

American sculptor Chauncey Bradley Ives represented Undine, the water spirit of European legend, emerging through a clinging sheet of carved marble. Unlike a face veil, the transparent effect covers much of the figure and makes the work an important extension of the veiled-sculpture tradition.

6. Giovanni Maria Benzoni — Veiled Rebecca, 1863 design

Veiled Rebecca shows the biblical Rebecca covering herself before meeting Isaac. Benzoni produced multiple versions in different sizes, so a single date and location can be misleading. The principal design dates to 1863; recorded versions include an 1864 example at the High Museum of Art and a later version at the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad.

7. Raffaelle Monti — Veiled Vestal, 1847

Monti’s Veiled Vestal evokes a priestess of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth. The serene face, wreath and layered veil make this bust one of the clearest demonstrations of the sculptor’s undercutting and polishing technique. The work is associated with the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth.

8. Antonio Corradini — Modesty (Veiled Truth), 1752

The sculpture often called Veiled Truth is officially titled Modesty (Pudicizia). Antonio Corradini created it as a memorial to Cecilia Gaetani dell’Aquila d’Aragona, mother of Raimondo di Sangro. It remains in its intended setting inside the Sansevero Chapel in Naples.

9. Contemporary Veiled Virgin Mary Bust

This image shows a contemporary decorative bust inspired by Strazza’s Veiled Virgin, not a documented nineteenth-century original. The workshop or individual artist is not identified in the available retail record, and examples of this type are normally held in private collections.

10. Giuseppe Sanmartino — The Veiled Christ, 1753

Giuseppe Sanmartino carved the dead Christ beneath a transparent shroud, rendering anatomy, fabric and the instruments of the Passion in a single block of marble. The sculpture remains at the Sansevero Chapel, where it was commissioned for the chapel’s program.

11. The Veiled Nun — unknown Italian sculptor, c. 1863

This bust was long attributed to Giuseppe Croff, but the National Gallery of Art now identifies the maker as an unknown Italian sculptor. The corrected attribution matters: the work should not be presented as a confirmed Croff sculpture. It entered the NGA collection from the former Corcoran Gallery of Art.

12. Luo Li Rong-inspired Draped Woman — contemporary bronze

This final example belongs to a different tradition. It is a contemporary bronze figure inspired by Luo Li Rong’s wind-swept drapery, not a marble veiled statue. It remains useful as a comparison because the flowing garment creates a related illusion of light fabric, but the material and exact edition should be stated accurately.

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Related options for a garden or memorial project

If you are comparing historically inspired pieces for a private landscape, these low-key links may help:

• Hand-carved Veiled Lady marble bust — a compact focal point for a niche, courtyard or memorial garden.
• Modern marble replica of The Veiled Christ — suited to religious and commemorative settings.
• Browse marble statues — compare sizes, subjects and custom carving options.

This optional product module appears after the artwork guide so it does not interrupt the historical content.

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How are veiled marble statues made?

The effect does not come from genuinely thin or transparent marble. Sculptors first establish the anatomy, then carve the veil as a second surface that follows the face or body beneath. Shallow relief preserves the features; undercut edges and deeper folds create shadow; progressive sanding and polishing give the marble a skin-like glow. Because one incorrect cut can flatten the expression or break a fold, the technique demands careful planning and fine-grained stone.

Choosing a veiled statue for a garden

• Check whether the piece is an original design or a reproduction. Reputable listings should state this plainly.
• Match the scale to the viewing distance. Busts work well near paths and entrances; life-size figures need more open space.
• Plan drainage and a stable base. Outdoor marble should not sit in standing water or directly on unstable soil.
• Ask about marble, finish and winter care. Freeze-thaw conditions, tree sap and irrigation water can affect the surface.
• Request current photographs and dimensions. They are more useful than relying on a reference image of a museum original.

How much does a custom marble statue cost?

Cost varies with size, marble grade, depth of detail, base design, packing and destination. A veiled face generally requires more carving time than a simpler bust. For a realistic project estimate, provide the desired height, installation location, reference style and delivery country; you can also use the statue price estimator as a starting point.

Sources were reviewed in September 2026. Museum attributions and display locations can change, so follow the linked collection record before planning a visit.