The Little Fortune 1495 - 1496

Albrecht Dürer created this engraving, "The Little Fortune," on a small sheet of paper. The composition is dominated by the figure of Fortuna, who stands precariously on a sphere. Her body is rendered with a dynamic contrapposto, her torso twisting in a sinuous curve. Dürer’s intricate use of line creates a rich tonal range, from the stark shadows defining her musculature to the delicate hatching that models her skin. A billowing scarf loops around her form, adding a sense of movement and instability. This calculated instability is central to the artwork’s meaning. By placing Fortuna on a sphere, Dürer evokes the capricious nature of fortune itself: always shifting, never reliable. The fine lines and precise execution contrast with the unstable subject matter. The viewer must reconcile the artwork's aesthetic harmony with its unsettling message about the unpredictability of life.