Emblematical print of the South Sea Scheme 1721

This engraving was made by William Hogarth probably in the 1720s, and it shows a carnival of folly and financial ruin related to the South Sea Bubble. The "Wheel of Fortune" is a prominent motif, upon which figures ride animals. This symbolizes the capricious nature of fate and the irrationality of speculative investment. We see how Fortuna appears across time, for example in Roman mosaics in North Africa. This embodies the unpredictability of life and the dangers of hubris, reminding us that those who rise high may fall just as quickly. Notice also the monument to the right with a wolf on top, a symbol for greed and corruption, mirroring the moral decay that Hogarth saw in society's pursuit of wealth. The symbols speak to a collective anxiety about the fleeting nature of prosperity and the ever-present threat of moral and financial collapse. The image is a powerful expression of the psychological turmoil that arises when societal values are distorted by greed. The wheel is still turning, isn't it?