About this artwork
Fortune, the goddess of chance and luck, accidentally spills her coin purse out into the heavens, an act that symbolizes the goddess’s arbitrary nature. A winged putto alerts Fortune to this act of blind fate by pulling her hair back from her eyes. Cantarini likely completed this print while under the tutelage in Mantua of his mentor, Guido Reni (Italian, 1575–1642). Reni was widely known for his painting of Fortune, and several etchings, including this one, were made after its likeness. But the two artists later grew estranged. Cantarini’s squabbles continued; he later assaulted a Mantuan painter, who may have retaliated by poisoning him.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Simone Cantarini
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Title
- Fortune
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Origin
- Italy
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Date
- Artist's working dates 1632–1648
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Medium
- Etching on cream laid paper
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Dimensions
- 237 × 145 mm
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Credit Line
- The Charles Deering Collection
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Reference Number
- 1927.2449
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/42988/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
