Penelope

myminifactory

This sculpture depicting Penelope is also known as "Penelope asleep". Penelope wife of Odysseus waited her husband for 20 years before his return. The woman, not willing to marry another man, refused all the man who asked her to be their spouse during the years. Her faith to the husband brought her to find a way to keep her promise and to wait for her husband. Once Odysseus leaves for his trip, she starts weaving her father-in-law Laertes’ burial promising that once done she will be ready to marry again. Every night of these 20 long years, she would undo the work done during the day, patiently waiting for Odysseus return. Thanks to the remarkable beauty of this sculpture, Cavelier was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1842.