CHRISTINE MCNAIR

“The Wheel of Fortune, or Rota Fortunae, is a concept in medieval and ancient philosophy referring to the capricious nature of Fate. The wheel belongs to the goddess Fortuna, who spins it at random, changing the positions of those on the wheel – some suffer great misfortune, others gain windfalls. Fortune appears on all paintings as a woman, sometimes blindfolded, ‘puppeteering’ a wheel.”

Fortune rota volvitur;
descendo minoratus;
alter in altum tollitur;
nimis exaltatus
rex sedet in vertice
caveat ruinam!
nam sub axe legimus
Hecubam reginam.
— Carmina Burana codex

A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load or performing labor in machines. Source: Government Printing Office The Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1895).

YÁÑEZ DE LA ALMEDINA, Fernando, 1505-10, Oil on canvas, 212 x 112 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid.