Each creation in the Tanit Collection honours women whose presence shaped the ancient imagination. This pendant centres on a carnelian intaglio depicting Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck, chance, and fate, a deity whose favour could bring prosperity or ruin with equal ease. Her appeal transcended class and circumstance: from emperors invoking Fortuna Augusta for the good of the state to enslaved people who joined her festivals, all sought her unpredictable blessing.
The early Imperial period, following the turbulent transition from Republic to Empire, was an age of uncertainty. In a world reshaped by shifting power and fragile stability, the idea of fortune’s caprice resonated deeply. In this intaglio, Fortuna stands crowned with a mural crown, emblem of civic protection, holding a cornucopia and a rudder — a long steering oar used to guide ships, here symbolising the goddess’s power to steer the course of destiny. Unlike the later “wheel of fortune,” the rudder evokes direction and control amid the instability of fate.
In Roman society, intaglios served as personal seals, used to authenticate documents and secure goods, their engraved images expressing identity and devotion. Choosing Fortuna reflected trust in divine favour and the desire for stability in a shifting world. Such gems were also worn as amulets and offered to the gods, revealing how deeply belief in Fortuna was woven into Roman life. Among her many sanctuaries, the great temple of Fortuna Primigenia at Praeneste (modern Palestrina), about 35 kilometres southeast of Rome, stood as a place of consultation and hope.
This intaglio is set in an 18k rose gold bezel, 3 mm wide, with fine granulation and a polished outline framing the stone. A high-polished gold backing intensifies the carnelian’s warm translucence, bringing the engraving into sharper relief. On the reverse, the goddess reappears in minute detail, standing and looking to the left, crowned with a mural crown and holding a cornucopia and rudder, her attributes of abundance and guidance. Her figure, rendered in polished relief against a frosted matte background, recalls the refined clarity of an ancient seal impression. Suspended from an 18k rose gold chain adjustable to 46, 44, and 42 cm, the Fortuna Pendant renews an image once impressed in wax or clay, now recast in gold, preserving the image of the goddess for today’s wearer.
