Fortuna (Fortune)
Stamped print
This image of Fortuna (Fortune, or more precisely, Occasio, Opportunity) was made with a hand-carved stamp and printed in reddish ink: in both style and color it evokes the appearance of ancient Greek red-figure vase painting. Fortune is a recurrent theme in ancient literature and often personified as a woman: she is imagined as standing on a wheel or globe to symbolize both the constantly-changing, unpredictable, and insecure nature of fortune as well as its influence over all earthly affairs. Her hair blows forward because fortune presents us with opportunities that must be seized as they approach; once they have passed, there is nothing with which to grasp them.
