Hestia/Vesta

Byzantine, Hestia Tapestry, 6th century, tapestry, 111.76 x 134.63 cm, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C.

Hestia (Greek) or Vesta (Roman) is the goddess of the hearth, home, family, order, domesticity, and architecture.  The first child of Kronos/Saturn, she is a virgin and the opposite of Aphrodite/Venus, and rejected the advances of Poseidon/Neptune and Apollo.  Her status as one of the Twelve Olympian Gods is questioned--it is sometimes stated that she gave up her place to Dionysus/Bacchus.

She is difficult to recognize as she does not have a specific emblem.  However, she is often seated on a plain throne with a white woolen cushion.