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1 of 253523 objects
Richard James Wyatt (1799-1850)
Penelope with the bow of Ulysses 1841-44
Marble | 238.7 x 82.0 x 67.0 cm (including base/stand) | RCIN 71423
Grand Entrance & Marble Hall, Buckingham Palace
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This sculpture was to be the first of four life-size marbles, all of female subjects, commissioned by the Queen, by the sculptor, Richard Wyatt.
The faithful Penelope, wife of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, awaits the contest that concludes Homer's Odyssey. Whichever of her suitors can bend her absent husband's bow and shoot an arrow through a set of rings shall win her hand. Odysseus himself appears, dressed in rags, to win the contest. The hound, Argus, is the first to recognise his master.
Text adapted from Victoria & Albert: Art & Love, London, 2010Provenance
Commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1841. Arrived at Windsor Castle from Rome in October 1844. Purchased for £350 (account RA VIC/ADD T/231/67).
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Marble
Measurements
238.7 x 82.0 x 67.0 cm (including base/stand)
