Artwork
Penelope
Penelope is an oil painting by the Realist artist Charles Marchal. It dates from 1868 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject of Charles Marchal's 1868 painting Penelope is the mythological figure of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, shown in a moment of quiet industriousness.
The subject of Charles Marchal's 1868 painting Penelope is the mythological figure of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, shown in a moment of quiet industriousness.
The iconography centers on Penelope at her loom, a motif directly referencing Homer's Odyssey in which she weaves and unweaves a burial shroud to forestall suitors while awaiting her husband's return. The single-figure composition and the presence of the loom emphasize themes of fidelity, patience, and domestic virtue traditionally associated with Penelope's story.
The work's restrained realism and classical subject align with nineteenth-century academic painting, using Penelope's mythic narrative to evoke ideals of constancy and moral resolve.
Technique & Style
Charles Marchal's Penelope, executed in 1868, is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 110.5 cm in height and 49.5 cm in width. It depicts a woman engaged in needlework, a subject rendered through the artist's handling of oil pigments on the textile support.
The composition is classified as a painting and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The painting Penelope was created by Charles-François Marchal in 1868. Executed in oil on canvas and measuring 110.5 cm in height by 49.5 cm in width, the work depicts a woman engaged in needlework. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The provided sources do not contain details regarding the original commission, the chain of ownership prior to the museum, a specific accession number, or any exhibitions in which the piece has been displayed.
Overview
Charles Marchal's oil painting, Penelope, created in 1868, portrays a solitary female figure engaged in needlework. This work exemplifies the artist's attention to domestic scenes and is rendered in oil on canvas. The painting is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it represents a period of genre painting.
Artist & collection
- Olivia Buckminster Lothrop (Mrs. Lewis William Tappan, Jr.)
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