Triumph of Fame (a Birth Salver)

This large tondo featuring the Triumph of Fame on its front side was painted to celebrate the birth of Lorenzo de’ Medici who was later known as Lorenzo il Magnifico. This is one of many examples of such two-sided tondi painted for Florentine families, although exactly how they were used is still uncertain.The theme chosen for this one derived from the Triumphs of Petrarch and Boccaccio’s The Vision of Love. Trumpets announce the arrival of Fame from the globe on which the allegorical figure stands and knights arrive to honour her.

The feathers on the frame are a reference to Lorenzo’s father Piero de Gouty, and the reverse of the tondo features other references to the Medici, as well as to the family of Lorenzo’s mother, Lucrezia Tornabuoni.