NEOCLASSICAL PATINATED BRONZE ATROPOS FIGURE, FRANCE, c.1880

This finely cast bronze identifies the figure as Atropos, the eldest of the three Fates in Greek mythology. While her sisters Clotho and Lachesis spun and measured the thread of life, Atropos was the "inflexible" one tasked with severing it. She is depicted here with her traditional attributes: the shears (or scissors) held in her right hand, poised to cut the thread, and a length of cloth or thread gathered in her left. The dynamic, upward-reaching pose and the relief-cast pedestal featuring putti (who appear to be handling various instruments of destiny) underscore the allegorical nature of the piece, symbolizing the inevitable conclusion of the human lifespan.

The marble plinth appears to have been added later.

Ht. 29 inches