This wall-based work is one of a number of sculptures Bourgeois made of spiders. Bourgeois related the idea of this creature with her own mother, who was a needlewoman and manager of the family’s tapestry restoration business. The spider weaves a world from its own body, repairs its web and protects its young. Despite these caring associations, Bourgeois had an ambiguous view of maternity. The mother figure in her world view has the capacity to be ferocious and powerful as well as tender and nurturing. Although it holds a marble egg protectively in its body, the large scale and muscular legs of this sculpture create a threatening presence.