Goddess of Fortune Stay with Us

This overmantel lunette conveys the desire for good luck to last infinitely. Two boys attempt to detain the beautiful winged goddess of fortune; one ties her wheel to a pillar, while the other holds a plaque that reads, "Dea Fortuna resta con noi" (Goddess of Fortune Stay with Us). Elihu Vedder abandoned an important commission for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago to create this overmantel for the magnificent New York mansion of Collis and Arabella Huntington. It was one of ten murals that the artist made for the dining room. The ceiling, Abundance of the Days of the Week (1926.80), is on view in the American Decorative Arts before 1900 galleries.

Geography: Made in Rome, Italy

Culture: American

Period: 19th century

Credit: Gift of Archer M. Huntington, M.A. (Hon.) 1897

1893

Oil on canvas

78.1 x 149.2cm

1926.81

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