Fate Atropos, ca. 1795

About the Work

We seldom see one of the Fates singing. Atropos, the goddess of destiny, is usually portrayed as a spinner who cuts the thread of life. Referencing Plato's 'The Republic', Carstens shows her as the singer of the future: sitting on a rock with her legs crossed, her upper body leaning energetically forward. The torso-like form makes the tension in this figure from antiquity particularly tangible. She was created in connection with a large-format pictorial composition of the Three Fates. It is the only surviving sculpture by Carstens, who is primarily known as a painter.