Wheel of Fortune

Completed in 1882, Wheel of Fortune draws on the ancient goddess Fortuna, whose revolving wheel symbolizes the capricious rise and fall of human fate—a theme that resonated deeply with Victorian anxieties about social mobility and destiny. Burne-Jones based the composition on earlier watercolor versions, refining it over many years before producing this large oil. The three male figures bound to the wheel—a slave, a king, and a poet—represent different estates of humanity subject to Fortune's indifference. The monumental nude figure of Fortuna turning the wheel recalls Michelangelo's Sistine ignudi, reflecting Burne-Jones's veneration of Italian Renaissance sculpture. The painting was exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery, the showplace of the Aesthetic Movement, where it attracted considerable critical attention. Its grave, allegorical seriousness stands in contrast to the more decorative and escapist works Burne-Jones also produced, demonstrating the full philosophical range of his ambition.

Oil on canvas with a monumental vertical composition. Burne-Jones constructed the tightly interlocked group of figures with architectural clarity, using cool, silvery tonality throughout. The surface shows controlled impasto in the drapery while flesh areas are more smoothly painted with thin glazes.