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3.25 Fortuna

Fortuna, goddess of luck, is one of the more popular female deities, with some 13 examples having been identified. She is most often shown as a mature woman wearing a long gown and holding a cornucopia in her left hand and a patera in her right (145 and 188). The patera and cornucopia are attributes common to a number of male and female deities, which accounts for the uncertainty associated with her identification on the four occasions where it has been suggested that she might also be Ceres or Abundantia (145, 188, 586 and 1080). The presence of another attribute, the rudder or steering oar, allows more certain identification. This attribute is more common on pipeclay or stone depictions, and the only metal examples in Britain with a rudder are two lead figurines from Springhead, Kent (1166 and 1167). However, there is an unusual figurine from Kettlebaston, Suffolk, wearing what appears to be a headdress and a torc (1169). She holds a cornucopia in her left hand and an object in her right. It has been suggested that this is a patera (PAS database) but could conceivably be a rudder. The presence of the torc and the style of the moulded drapery suggest that this is a Romano-British piece.


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