The Spinners

Athena, in the foreground, is using a spinning wheel whereas Arachne is simply winding yarn.  Athena is using a more advanced tool than Arachne, signifying the superior technology the gods have over us.  

The curtain is red, the color of anger, which represents Athena’s outraged incredulity at the vain of the mortal Arachne.

The cat at the base of Athena’s feet interests me.  Does the cat represent Athena and Arachne is her  mouse?  Is the cat a reference to the story of Diana’s transformation into a cat to escape Typhon, which could hint at Minerva’s transformation into an old lady?  Or is the cat a reference to Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty often depicted with a cat at her feet?  As the cat is facing Arachne in this picture, this could be foreshadowing Arachne’s upcoming metamorphosis into a spider, and consequently her loss of liberty as a human being.

The location of the curtain is also important.  It is next to the elderly woman (Athena).  Athena has only one aid helping her and they are making direct eye contact.  There is some connection between these two

The aid's dress, though not exactly the same color as the curtain, seems to morph into the curtain, which she is holding up.  If the curtain was let go, it would cover up a third of the scene, including Minerva and the ladder in the background.  However, the curtain is held up, and the scene is unveiled, correlating in a sense to the unveiling of the gods imperfections.

It could be the lack of clarity or maybe just my eyes, but I don’t see any legs on Athena’s aid, almost as though she’s floating beside her. 

Here, this seemingly normal woman is not only maintaining eye contact with the great goddess, but she is looking down upon her.  I believe this body language says something.  Seldom do gods look up to men.  This woman could be a god to the gods themselves.  The reason she is pulling back the curtain is because she is "unveiling" Athena.  Arachne bested Minerva.  Thus the veil of awe and deference that humans had for this goddess was lifted, she was exposed.  Athena is also facing forward, revealing her face, exposing her as beatable, as flawed. 

Cats represent wisdom.  Wisdom that man is not entirely subservient to the gods.

Just as the gods punish man for their various transgressions, I believe Athena's aid is an entity more powerful that the gods themselves and set up this event to teach Minerva a lesson, to knock her down a peg, to remind her of her place by allowing this human, this lowly mortal to best her and humiliate her.

Note also how the ladder is not leaning or directed towards the higher realm of the gods in the background.  Rather it’s angled towards this mysterious woman.  So while the steps leading up to the back room represent the level of the gods, this ladder, which reaches much higher, represents another realm, from which this mysterious woman comes.