This ensemble by Gabriel Hayes was inspired by Antonio Canova’s Three Graces sculpture of Zeus’ daughters carved from marble in 1817. This version in limestone portrays two women performing household chores – cleaning and sewing – while the middle figure holds a book. This represented some of the skills taught at the St. Mary’s College of Domestic Science. At the opening ceremony in 1941, Dublin’s archbishop declared it “women’s work … to build happy homes.” The sculptures remain on Cathal Brugha Street perhaps as a poignant reminder of the past and a reflection of how far women have come in today’s society.
