Visconti and the Wheel of Fortune

Fortune turning her wheel, Hall of Justice, Castle of Angera, c. 1290.
Angera was the ancestral home of the Visconti family,
and the frescoes in the Hall of Justice were commissioned by
Ottone Visconti, Archbishop of Milan. Ottone is considered to be
the founder of Visconti rule in Milan.

An illustration of the Wheel of Fortune from a 12-13th century ms.
in the Visconti library.
In the ms., the following two illustrations show an "Ascent of the Soul" through
the spheres of the elements, planets, and intelligences to the
throne of God.
These are followed by a treatise which details the technique of the ascent.

Wheel of Fortune, miniature by Michelino da Besozzo in a manuscript of
Boethius' De Consolatione Philosophiae, late 14th century.
Michelino da Besozzo was later commissioned by Filippo Maria Visconti
to paint a deck of cards very different from normal. Some commentators
consider this deck to be the first "tarot" deck.