Sketch of Fortuna

Francis Augustus Lathrop's ink study depicts Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fortune, in dynamic composition. The figure dominates the upper portion, rendered with flowing drapery and classical features, while the lower half dissolves into gestural abstraction—wheels, wings, and serpentine forms suggesting fate's machinery. Lathrop's technique moves between controlled figuration and energetic line work, exploring how symbolic meaning emerges through both representational and abstract means. This study reflects fin-de-siècle artistic concerns with classical mythology and the expressive potential of the sketch as a finished work rather than preliminary study alone.