The Wheel of Fortune, Rochester Cathedral, Kent

There was not much protection from Lady Fortuna for the good people of Rochester Cathedral in the 1200s. A salutary message awaited from the Wheel of Fortune high on the wall near the choir. It is our good fortune to be able to see it today as it was hidden beneath layers of whitewash until restoration work in the early 1800s.

Lady Fortuna herself stands boldly against a red background controlling the wheel’s orbit. She is usually shown holding a horn of plenty in one hand and a rudder in the other with which she steers her blessings as she chooses. The figures round the perimeter rise and fall as their fortunes are randomly dealt out. Only half of the wheel survives, the rest likely destroyed in the Civil War of the 1640s, but it remains an exquisite and rare medieval wall painting.

The Wheel of Fortune, a metaphor for the world turning, was widely used to illustrate the futile pursuit of wealth and fame, and the uncertain and temporary nature of life.