A very unique and decorative true pair of French 19th century Neo-Classical st. Ormolu plaques of Penelope and Odysseus, dated 1869. Each rectangular relief with a triangular plinth and capital are set on a wood panel with Ormolu front plates.... — Read More

A very unique and decorative true pair of French 19th century Neo-Classical st. Ormolu plaques of Penelope and Odysseus, dated 1869. Each rectangular relief with a triangular plinth and capital are set on a wood panel with Ormolu front plates. One plaque displays the seated Odysseus wearing flowing garments while holding a staff and petting his loyal companion Argos. Odysseus sits patiently in his chair on a stone floor in front of a doorway with decorative scrolling patterns along the frame and a helmet at his feet. The second plaque is of the beautiful Penelope seated and dressed in elegant flowing garments as she weaves a shroud. She is seated in front of a doorway that is tastefully designed with Greek Key patterns and has a cassolette holding excess sewing materials adjacent to her. Wonderful and intricate attention to detail throughout.

Penelope, the devoted wife of Odysseus and queen of Ithaca, is renowned for her loyalty and intelligence, delaying remarriage by weaving and secretly unraveling a shroud. Odysseus, the resourceful king of Ithaca, faces numerous trials on his ten-year journey home from the Trojan War, including encounters with the Cyclops, the enchantress Circe, the Sirens, and the nymph Calypso. Despite twenty years of separation, their love and faithfulness endure. — Read Less