Fortune c. 16th century

Curator: This is Virgil Solis's "Fortune," a drawing from around the mid-16th century, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The starkness is striking. A nude woman, almost defiant, but vulnerable. Curator: Indeed, Solis uses line work to craft texture, especially on the figure's skin and flowing hair, and the drapery creates dynamic movement. I wonder about the paper itself; it appears to have aged considerably, affecting the overall impression. Editor: She stands on a sphere, a traditional symbol of the unpredictable nature of fate. And that pole she grips...it suggests both power and precarious balance. Curator: Perhaps a reference to the tools of governance? Or even the instruments used in the printing process itself, suggesting how the artist literally shaped fortune through his work? Editor: Perhaps both, or neither! The beauty lies in the ambiguity. Symbols shift across time. Curator: Precisely. The interplay of artistic labor and enduring allegorical meanings is what makes this piece so compelling. Editor: A small drawing, yet filled with such monumental themes.