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Elizabeth A.Sackler Center for Feminist Art

Fortuna

Mythic, worshipped in ancient Rome, circa 753 B.C.E.–C.E. 476

An oracular goddess venerated throughout the Roman world, Fortuna was responsible for both good luck and bad. Her attributes—the cornucopia, rudder, ball, and blindfold—express different aspects of her powers. As a goddess of bounty and fruitfulness, her principal devotees were mothers. As a controller of fate, her shrines usually focused on a particular aspect of life in which devotees sought good fortune. Her oldest sanctuary, the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia in Praeneste, crowned a series of magnificent terraces linked by grand staircases, an imposing edifice visible from Rome as well as the sea.

Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). <em>The Dinner Party</em> (Heritage Floor; detail), 1974–79. Porcelain with rainbow and gold luster, 48 x 48 x 48 ft. (14.6 x 14.6 x 14.6 m). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung Photography
Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). The Dinner Party (Heritage Floor; detail), 1974–79. Porcelain with rainbow and gold luster, 48 x 48 x 48 ft. (14.6 x 14.6 x 14.6 m). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung Photography

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