Triumph Of Fame

This is the most spectacular, grand // desco da parto that has survived and come down to us. It was made for the birth of Lorenzo de’ Medici, or Lorenzo the Magnificent, the de facto ruler of Florence. The subject, the Triumph of Fame, is represented by a winged woman standing on a globe, holding in one hand, a sword and in the other, a statuette of Cupid drawing his bow. Trumpets herald Fame to warriors on horseback gathered below. This imagery is derived from the poetry of Boccaccio, and also Petrarch, who described a group like the twenty-eight warriors, who raise their arms in a pledge of allegiance. Other decorative parts of this birth tray include the marvelous ostrich feathers around the outside. These are related to Piero de’ Medici, the child’s father, and they stood for his steadfastness because ostrich feathers are so stiff that they do not bend in the wind. We can imagine that this tray was commissioned by Piero de’ Medici, and given to his wife, on the birth of their child, Lorenzo. The tray was hanging in Lorenzo’s bed chamber when he died, in 1492. Take a walk around the tray to see the back. Then press 27 to hear about it.