Peiffer, 19th-century Romantic Neoclassical Bronze - The Spinner, Penelope, The Odyssey, Ulysses

19th-Century Patinated Bronze - The Spinner, Signed Peiffer


A 19th-century bronze sculpture with a brown patina, depicting a young woman in antique drapery asleep on a chair (klismos). She holds a spindle in her hand, while a second spindle rests at her feet. The work is signed PEIFFER (Auguste Joseph Peiffer, 1832–1886) on the lower leg of the chair.
A piece of great finesse in its execution, remarkable for the rendering of the drapery, the delicacy of the facial features, and the Greek frieze adorning the hem of the tunic.

This work is at the heart of the 19th-century fascination with allegorical and mythological figures associated with spinning and fate, embodied by two major figures:

• Penelope (the symbol of Fidelity and Patience): The melancholic posture of this dozing spinner immediately brings to mind Pierre-Jules Cavelier’s masterpiece, “Penelope Asleep.” In Homer’s *Odyssey*, Penelope weaves by day and unravels her work by night to fend off her suitors while awaiting Odysseus’s return. Here, the spindle symbolizes suspended time, constancy, and fidelity.
• Clotho (The Fate of Destiny): In Roman mythology (the Parcae) and Greek mythology (the Moirai), Clotho (“the Spinner”) is the deity who spins the thread of human life. Her spindle weaves the destiny of every mortal. Depicted here asleep, she evokes a suspension of time, a moment of respite when the thread of fate ceases to unravel for an instant.