The Spinner
Unknown · Neo-Elamite period, c. 8th-7th century BC
A woman sits on a stool with lion-paw feet, twirling a spindle in her hands as she spins thread. Before her stands a table set with a fish and fruit; behind her a servant waves a fan. The scene is carved in bitumen compound, a material Susa used as if it were stone, and the plaque is only thirteen centimetres wide. Her hair is gathered at the back and her dress is richly patterned.
Known as the Spinner, the relief dates to the Neo-Elamite period, around the eighth or seventh century BC, and is one of the most reproduced images from ancient Iran. It is a quiet domestic scene, but the fan-bearer and the feast suggest a woman of rank, and the museum notes that the spinning may be allegorical, an image of fate being spun. The plaque is broken, and the upper part of the servant is lost. It came to the Louvre through the division of finds from the French excavations at Susa. Bitumen, a natural tar that hardens, was abundant in the region and was moulded and carved into vessels and reliefs.
Did You Know? The spinner's stool has lion's paws, a luxury detail that tells you she is no ordinary craftswoman.
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