It is one of the last works that Botticelli made exemplifying virtue, like The Story of Lucretia.
The painting has a fundamental theme of violated honor and matrimonial fidelity. The combination of several scenes in a single image was common in the art of the early Renaissance. These are read from left to right:
Virginia, in the company of other women, is violated or assaulted by Marcus Claudius, who wants to force her to yield to Appius Claudius Crassus;
He carries her to the tribunal presided by Appius Claudius who declares her a slave;
The father and the husband of the woman plead for clemency
The father, to preserve the family honor, kills her and flees on horseback.
This story is developed within a setting of classical architecture, in which the figures are agitated, painted with vibrant colors.
