Portrait of Madame Odette Plouvier 

Léonor Fini captures Madame Odette Plouvier with oil on canvas, a modern echo of classical portraiture. At the sitter's feet rest fossilized shells, ancient spirals that arrest our gaze. The shell, a symbol resonating across millennia, links Madame Plouvier to a lineage stretching back to ancient goddesses born from the sea foam. Botticelli’s Venus comes to mind, reborn in each age, carrying with her echoes of fertility and renewal. These shells are not merely decorative; they are primal symbols, whispering tales of life's cyclical nature. Like the ouroboros, the serpent eating its tail, they suggest an eternal return. This portrait isn't just a likeness; it's a potent symbol, inviting us to contemplate the enduring power of the feminine, and the relentless, beautiful wheel of time.