12 DOSSO DOSSI This recently discovered painting was executed by Dosso at least a decade after the (Giovanni de' Luteri) Mythological Scene illustrated on the preceding page. While the luminous, poetic Italian, circa 1490­1542 coloring and atmosphere of the earlier work reflect Dosso's study of contemporary Allegory of Fortune, circa 1530 Venetian paintings, the Allegory of Fortune illustrates how his work developed toward Oil on canvas a more Roman style dominated by the figure. In fact, the heroically proportioned and 178 x 216.5 cm (70½ x 85½ in.) posed figures of the Allegory are closely based on examples in Michelangelo's Sistine 89.PA.32 Chapel ceiling. The woman represents Fortune, or Lady Luck, the indifferent force that determines fate. She is nude and holds a cornucopia, flaunting the bounty that she could bring. Her solitary shoe indicates that she not only brings fortune but also misfortune. While these characteristics conform to traditional depictions of Fortune, Dosso handles her other attributes creatively. Fortune was often shown with a sail to indicate that she is as inconstant as the wind, but Dosso employs an artful flourish of billowing drapery. Likewise, Fortune was often depicted balancing on a terrestrial or celestial sphere to represent the extent of her influence, but with characteristic wit, Dosso has her sitting precariously on a bubble, a symbol of transience, to stress that her favors are often fleeting. The man can be understood as a personification of Chance, in the sense of luck (sorte) rather than opportunity {occasio). He looks longingly toward Fortune as he is about to deposit paper lots or lottery tickets in a golden urn. The tickets are nor a traditional attribute but rather a timely reference to the civic lotteries that had recently become popular in Italy. The paper lottery tickets had yet another association for the society in which Dosso worked. They would have been recognized as an emblem of Isabella d'Este, marchioness of Mantua. One of her learned advisors stated that she chose this image to denote her personal experience of fluctuating fortune. It is possible that Dosso created this painting for Isabella and that its meaning is tied to the vicissitudes of her life at the court of Mantua. Whether or not this is ever established with certainty, the haunting mood of the painting invites the present­day viewer to reflect on how life still seems at the whim of Lady Luck. DC 28 ITALIAN SCHOOL