Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923)
The Fates Gathering in the Stars
INV-7496
Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923)1887
The Fates Gathering in the Stars
Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923) →19th centurypaintingamerican arts
Date
1887
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
113 × 82.6 cm (44 1/2 × 32 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Friends of American Art Collection
Elihu Vedder depicted the three Fates of Greek mythology working the thread of life: Clotho spins the thread, Lachesis fixes its length, and Atropos cuts it at the appointed time of death. Their symbolic tools—spindle, distaff, and shears—rest in the foreground, emphasizing the Fates’ decisive role in matters of life and death. Vedder adapted this painting from an illustration he had designed for an 1884 publication by Edward FitzGerald—a translation of the work of 11th-century poet Omar Khayyám, The Rubáiyát. Vedder was attracted to mysterious, visionary subject matter. Here, he explored metaphysical questions of life, death, and afterlife, subjects at the core of Khayyám’s poetry.
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