Circle of Michelangelo Buonarroti

Created by a sixteenth-century artist working in the circle of Michelangelo, this stylish painting depicts winged Fortuna, the goddess of fortune and fate. Poised atop her wheel, she is swathed in flowing magenta drapery and accompanied by an assortment of symbols. At left are a crown, scepter, and laurel wreath, symbolizing, respectively, power, honor, and glory; at right she holds a cascade of three-pronged spiked objects (possibly iron caltrops), symbolizing pain and suffering. At times thought to be based on a now-lost drawing by Michelangelo, the composition is known in several versions, underscoring the image's enduring appeal. Among the artists who produced paintings that replicate this composition were Andrea del Minga, Michele Tosini, and Maso da San Friano.¹

We are grateful to Professor David Ekserdjian for bringing Alessandro Nesi's article (see footnote 1) to our attention.

¹ See A. Nesi, "Andrea del Minga, Medici Allegory of Fortune," in Italian Paintings, exhibition catalogue, New York 2015, pp. 61-65.