The Wheel of Destiny

Walter Crane · 1882
Oil on canvas
Milan, Italy - Private collection
LDA · XVII · MMXXV

Source
Book · I Preraffaelliti di Renato Barilli · Fratelli Fabbri Editori · 1967 · p. 80

Crane imagines the turning of fate through two mythological figures: the winged elder is Chronos, the Greek god of Time, and the youthful winged figure is Eros, the force of desire. Chronos reads the scroll that determines the course of mortal lives while Eros attempts to guide his hand, suggesting that destiny is written through the interaction of time & desire rather than by time alone. The constellations of the zodiac arch overhead — Aries, Taurus and others — marking fate as part of cosmic order rather than human choice. The scroll curves in a continuous arc, echoing the circular movement of the heavens, showing that decisions made on earth mirror alignments in the sky. The scene presents fate not as punishment, but as the balance between the passage of time and the impulses that shape a life.

Reposting welcome; please credit Libreria d’Arte - Studio Soli.

Detail
The zodiac constellations above - Aries, Taurus & others - linking mortal life to cosmic cycles. The heavens act as a celestial clock determining the rhythm of earthly events.

Detail
The hourglass at their feet - the measure of finite time set against the infinite sky. Time passes for mortals even as the universe remains unchanged. The withered myrtle beside the hourglass - myrtle belongs to Aphrodite, but here it appears dried, showing that love declines while time continues its course. Eros is present, yet Chronos remains the one who determines the outcome.

Detail
Chronos holds the scroll open in mid-air as he writes - destiny is still being formed rather than already fixed. Eros reaches for the quill to interrupt the writing, showing that desire attempts to alter fate before time locks it into place. Fate is not yet inscribed into the cosmic mechanism - Eros is trying to prevent it from being sealed.