Alphonse-Victor Colas (1818–1887)

The etching Drie schikgodinnen by Alphonse-Victor Colas strikingly depicts the Moirai at work. On the left we see Clotho, the youngest, holding a spindle and distaff in her hand. She forms the beginning of a life thread from the loose fibers. Lachesis in the center takes over the thread, winding it from the reel into a skein, thus determining the course of the individual’s life. Atropos, the eldest and most powerful, holds a pair of spring scissors in her hand with which she can cut the thread and end the respective human life at any moment. Lachesis reports in more detail on the work of the goddesses of fate in the audio play at the listening station.