Descrizione
Storia dell’arte n. 161
Nuova Serie 1 | 2024
Lorenzo Pericolo
Guido Reni’s Fortune
Around 1637, Guido Reni produced a Fortune destined to immediate success. Seventeenth-century sources relate that the master, annoyed to see his new composition advertised in print and the painting exhibited before it was finished, decided to executed a replica by repainting a studio copy and turning it into an original. In doing so, he also changed a key element of the allegory. This essay aims to unravel the intricate circumstances in which Guido painted his versions of Fortune, and to clarify the meaning of the allegory both within the context of financial speculation and Guido’s own reflection on chance, love, and painting.
