The Fates Gathering in the Stars
Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923)
1887
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Materials & printing
Archival matte paper, 189 g/m² (10.3 mil), sourced from Japan, printed with multicolor water-based inkjet so every brushstroke stays crisp. Framed prints arrive ready to hang in a .75″ ayous-wood frame with an acrylite front. Sized to standard frames by cropping, never stretching — at most about 3% comes off one edge, which isn’t noticeable on most pieces, and we only offer a size when it stays that small.
Shipping & returns
Made to order and delivered in 5–8 business days (2–4 to print, 3–4 in transit). US shipping only for now. Because each print is made for your order, all sales are final — but if it arrives damaged or defective, send us a photo within 14 days and we’ll replace it free. Full policy.
Why is it this affordable?
A thin, flat margin on every piece — just enough to keep the store running. Most of what you pay is the print itself. We only sell sizes that reproduce at full quality, and we don’t mark up the large sizes the way most shops do.
About this work
Elihu Vedder depicted the three Fates of Greek mythology working the thread of life: Clotho spins the thread, Lachesis fixes its length, and Atropos cuts it at the appointed time of death. Their symbolic tools—spindle, distaff, and shears—rest in the foreground, emphasizing the Fates’ decisive role in matters of life and death. Vedder adapted this painting from an illustration he had designed for an 1884 publication by Edward FitzGerald—a translation of the work of 11th-century poet Omar Khayyám, The Rubáiyát. Vedder was attracted to mysterious, visionary subject matter. Here, he explored metaphysical questions of life, death, and afterlife, subjects at the core of Khayyám’s poetry.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 113 × 82.6 cm (44 1/2 × 32 1/2 in.)
Museum record · 4 owners · 10 exhibitions
Provenance
- Henry Melville Whitney, Brookline, MA, 1887.
- American Art Association, New York, 1917.
- George H. Ainslie, New York, 1917.
- Montross Gallery, New York, by 1919; sold by them to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1919.
Exhibitions
- Boston, Doll and Richards Gallery, Mar. 18 – ?, 1887.
- New York, H. Wunderlich & Co., Apr. 1887.
- Paris, France, Palais du Champ de Mars, Galerie des Beaux–Arts, Exposition Universelle Internationale, May 5–Oct. 31, 1889 (Les parques se rassemblant dans les etoiles).
- New York, American Art Gallery, Valuable American and Foreign Oil Paintings by Distinguished Masters of Modern Schools, Mar. 12–16, 1917 as The Three Fates.
- Art Institute of Chicago, Special Exhibition of the Works in the Friends of American Art Collection, May 15–June 15, 1919.
- San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Exhibition of Paintings, Collection of the Friends of American Art, Lent by the Art Institute of Chicago, June 26–July 26, 1926.
- Stockholm, Sweden, Kungl Akademien för de Fria Konsterna, Utställning av Amerikansk Konst i Stockholm , Mar. 15–Apr. 7, 1930; Copenhagen, Denmark, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Udstilling af Amerikanst Konst I København , May 3–22, 1930; Munich, Germany, Ausstellung Americanischer Kunst , June–July, 1930 (organized by the American Scandinavian Foundation).
- Art Institute of Chicago, A Survey of American Art, July 21–Oct. 9, 1932.
- Washington, DC, Smithsonian Institution, National Collection of Fine Arts, Oct. 13–Feb. 4, 1979; New York, Brooklyn Museum, Perceptions and Evocations: the Art of Elihu Vedder Apr. 28, 1979–July 9, 1979 (exhibited in Brooklyn only).
- Norfolk, Va., Chrysler Museum, Paris 1889: American Artists at the Universal Exposition, Sept. 29–Dec. 17, 1989, Annette Blaugrund, et al, ill.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; exhibition extended to the New–York Historical Society, Sept. 5–Nov. 15, 1990.
