Penelope standing in the centre by a large weaving table amongst her women spinning and weaving

Art Historical Context

In this enchanting engraving from around 1540–50, titled *Penelope standing in the by a large weaving table her women spinning and weaving Master FG—likely Francesco Primaticcio, a leading Mannerist artist of the Fontainebleau School—dep the legendary heroine from Homer's *Odyssey*. Penelope stands poised amid her industrious female attendants, who operate looms and spinning wheels in a bustling domestic scene. Subtle details, like playful cats weaving through the composition, add a touch of everyday warmth to the mythological narrative, symbolizing Penelope's cunning fidelity as she unravels her shroud each night to fend off Odysseus's suitors. Created during the height of the Italian Renaissance's Mannerist phase, Primaticcio's work reflects the elegant, elongated figures and graceful compositions favored at the French court of Francis I. As an engraver and painter who bridged Italian and French art, he helped disseminate sophisticated designs through printmaking, making high art accessible beyond elite patrons. This technique, involving intricate etching on copper plates, captures fine textures—from flowing fabrics to wooden looms—with remarkable precision on its modest 7 11/16 x 6 1/2-inch sheet. Today, this print resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, a gift from Harry G. Friedman in 1962. It offers visitors a window into 16th-century gender roles, domestic labor, and the enduring power of classical stories in Renaissance visual culture.