Title: Allegory of Fortune

Artist: Dosso Dossi

An Allegory of Fortune About 1528 Dosso Dossi (Giovanni di Niccolò de Lutero) Italian, about 1486–1542 Oil on canvas The woman in this work represents Fortune. She holds a horn of plenty, signifying the bounty she can bring, but sits on a bubble because her favors are fleeting. The man (Chance) helps guide her toward Fortune as he deposits lottery tickets in an urn—a reference to the lottery tickets in Italy. This painting was probably made for Isabella d’Este, marchioness of Mantua, one of whose emblems was a bundle of lots, denoting her experience with fluctuating fortune.