Artwork
Rough sketch illustrating 'The Three Spinners'
Rough sketch illustrating 'The Three Spinners' is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist Beatrix Potter. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This watercolour sketch is a preparatory work by Beatrix Potter, created in the 1890s. It depicts a scene from a fairy tale, featuring a young girl and an older woman with a notably swollen foot.
Subject & Meaning
The sketch is associated with 'The Three Spinners', a Grimm fairy tale about three women who complete an enormous task of spinning for a lazy girl. Potter's drawing appears to show the girl greeting one of the spinners, annotated with a note about the 'old fairy woman' having an 'enormous foot'.
History & Provenance
Potter studied Grimm's fairy tales as a young woman and later included a written version of 'The Three Spinners' in her book 'The Fairy Caravan' (1929). The sketch was part of her unrealised plan to publish a set of fairy tales in the 1890s.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Helen Beatrix Heelis (née Potter; 28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( BEE-ə-triks), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist.
