Fortuna Opes Auferre Emblem Garment Dyed T-Shirt

2026-03-08T15:11:14-05:00

Price: 42.75 - 49.40 (6 variants)

A flower. A ribbon. A line from Seneca. On the front, a caltrop emblem paired with the old French East India Company motto, “I shall flourish wherever I go.” On the back, a harder sentence still: Fortuna opes auferre, non animum potest. Fortune can take away wealth, but not spirit.

That line comes from Seneca’s Medea. In the play, Medea has been abandoned by Jason and pushed into the collapse of her worldly security. What remains is the inward seat of resolve. That is the force of the phrase. Fortune may govern possessions, rank, and comfort. It does not so easily master the soul.

The image itself later appears on the Ace of Carnations in the circular playing cards of Master PW of Cologne, engraved around 1500. That later use makes the design even richer. A sentence about fortune, loss, and inward strength was placed on an object tied to chance itself. The pairing is almost too perfect: a delicate floral emblem carrying a line about what luck can and cannot do to a human being.

Taken together, the two marks speak to endurance in different registers. The caltrop suggests motion, hardship, and persistence. The Senecan emblem gives that instinct its moral language. The result is an old-world composition with real weight behind it.

This vintage-style t-shirt has that soft, worn-in look people love from day one. The garment-dyed finish creates subtle color variations, making every piece feel unique and relaxed. It’s an easy everyday tee that works just as well styled up or worn casually.

• 100% organic ring-spun cotton
• Fabric weight: 5.6 oz./yd.² (190 g/m²)
• Relaxed fit with a comfortable drape
• Garment-dyed finish with a washed, vintage look
• Side-seamed construction for a clean shape
• Set-in sleeves
• Ribbed collar for a classic finish
• Printed in the USA