In his work De consolatione philosophiae, Consolation of Philosophy, the late antique scholar Boethius describes his dialogue with Philosophia. She appeared to him in a vision while he was sitting in prison, ill and accused of treason. Fortuna is to blame for his misfortune, he complains, but Philosophia contradicts him and points out that Fortuna’s nature is to give and take away luck, so no constancy can be expected from her.
“Do you try to stop the momentum of the rolling wheel? But, most foolish of mortals, when it begins to persevere, it ceases to be chance.” - De consolatio philosophiae, II, 1 (translation Gegenschatz/Gigon)
The illumination shows the dialogue between Boethius and Philosophia about the power of the goddess of fate, Fortuna. Boethius is lying in a sickbed, next to him sits the crowned Philosophy, the ruler of knowledge and education. Boethius’ gestures illustrate the circumstances of the conversation. Philosophia, in turn, points to the right at Fortuna, the subject of the dialogue. The rolling wheel, which Fortuna moves on its spokes, symbolises the constant ups and downs of fortune and serves as her most important attribute. A blindfold blocks her view of the world, which illustrates her arbitrary nature, which affects everyone equally. The silhouette-like figures recognisable on the wheel reflect this: At the top, at the highest point, sits a figure identified as a ruler by his crown, orb and sword. The others are on the wheel that is carrying them downwards or are already in free fall. It is foreseeable that the king will also fall. Boethius tries to use the personified Fortuna to explain the turn of his fate: he cannot escape the inevitable movement of the wheel. He once stood at its highest point, but the wheel has now carried him into the depths.
The depiction combines indoors and outdoors, creating an unusual spatial structure: the wall with the open window behind Boethius suggests an interior space, while Philosophia, who is speaking to him, is in a landscape while Fortuna is surrounded by water. This indicates the complex conversational situation: Philosophia appears to Boethius as a vision, thus outside his real space, and both speak about Fortuna, who is not present.
© The British Library Board
In the Consolation of Philosophy, Philosophia explains to Boethius what Fortuna is all about: “You think that luck has changed towards you: you are wrong! These have always been its customs, this is its nature. It has even proven its constancy to you precisely in its changeability. [...] You have now discovered the blind deity’s ambiguous countenance [...].” (Translation Gegenschatz/Gigon)
© The British Library Board
The blue historicised initial P introduces the second book and extends over seven lines. It contains a male figure sitting at a lectern in front of an open book. His right hand rests on the pages of the book with two outstretched fingers. The iconography suggests an author’s image, perhaps it is Boethius himself, who, younger and healthy, is engrossed in philosophical reading.
© The British Library Board
