Footnotes

Provenance
The Collection of Raymond Monier-Vinard (1878-1944), Quinta da Achada, Madeira, and thence by descent to
His daughter Sylvie, married John Blandy, Madeira, and thence by descent to the present owners

Known as the Moirai in Greek mythology or the Parcae in Roman, The Fates are three sister goddesses who presided over all human life, assigning a destiny to each mortal at their birth and the timing of their death.

The first of the Fates, Clotho, was the Spinner. Clothed in red, she is seen in the present work at the far left of the composition spinning the threads of life. She is the Fate associated with establishing a human's destiny before they enter the world. In the centre of the composition, in blue, is Lachesis, the 'Allotter', whose role it was to measure the length of a person's life and to determine how many trials they may face during their lifetime. The third figure, in white and looking directly out at the viewer, is Atropos, the 'un-turnable one'. She was known as the most unshakeable of the Fates as it was she who cut the thread of one's life. In the present work, she holds the scissors up, in the act of cutting the yarn to end a life. The artist in the present work has ensured that both Clotho's distaff and Atropos's scissors come together in the centre of the composition to represent the beginning and end of human life.

We are grateful to Dott. Camillo Manzitti for confirming the attribution to Bernardo Strozzi and for suggesting that it is an early work from circa 1610, shortly after he left the Capuchin monastery. He compares the present Three Fates to Strozzi's Alexander the Great granting the throne to Abdalonymus which is currently on loan to the Fuji Art Museum, Tokyo (see C. Manzitti, Bernardo Strozzi, Turin, 2012, p. 77, cat. no. 8). He further notes that the present work reveals the influence that Strozzi had on the young Gioacchino Assereto with his own version of The Three Fates which now hangs at the Palazzo Rocca, Chiavari.

Note on the provenance
One of the most historic Quintas on the island of Madeira, the Quinta da Achada has long been associated with Madeira wine. In the 18th Century it belonged to the firm Lamar Hill, Bisset & Co, who sold Madeira wine, and then passed to another Madeira wine merchant, William Penfold. Later, in 1807-8, it was the summer residence of General Beresford, Governor of the island and Commander of the British forces there during the Napoleonic wars.