Fortuna

myminifactory

This sandstone sculpture portrays Felicitas, a deity associated with good fortune and luck in ancient Roman culture. Felicitas is often depicted holding a gubernaculum (steering oar), an orb or Rota Fortunae (wheel of fate) and a cornucopia (horn overflowing with abundance). She embodies the dual nature of chance: sometimes she brings prosperity, while other times she bestows misfortune. As a personification of life's unpredictability, Felicitas is occasionally depicted veiled and blind, much like modern representations of Lady Justice. In ancient mythology, she was also revered as the goddess of destiny: as Dura Fortuna, she took the lives of Gaius and Lucius, the grandsons of Princeps Augustus, who were next in line to inherit the Empire. (In antiquity, she was also known as Automatia.)\r\nFelicitas' father is said to be Jupiter, and like him, she possesses the power to be generous (Copia). As Annonaria, she safeguards grain reserves. June 11th holds special significance for her worship, while on June 24th, she is honored at the festival of Fortuna's blessings.