Create and Discover ’21 – arty crafts inspired by artefacts

Challenge 14– The Wheel of Fortune

This is one of Rochester Cathedral’s artistic treasures, it is called the Wheel of Fortune and dates from the 1200s.

Only half of the painting is visible today, the missing half was destroyed at the Reformation during Tudor times. This portion survived because it was hidden behind a large piece of furniture.

The painting shows a wheel controlled by Queen Fortuna. She turns the wheel clockwise and you can see people gradually climbing upwards. The most fortunate person sits on a comfortable stool at the top of the wheel. Look carefully at his face, he doesn’t look too happy! Perhaps that is because he can see the missing part of the wheel which would have shown people going down and falling off. Queen Fortuna has her back to them.

The Wheel of Fortune was a common symbol in medieval times and shows that money and power can not be relied on, that things can change in the blink of an eye if Fortuna turns her wheel.

See if you can find this amazing picture when you are next in the Cathedral.

For this challenge we’d like you to draw the missing part of the wheel. You can either draw the whole wheel freehand or download this line drawing of the image to get you started.

Download line drawing