In 1472 Lorenzo Morelli arranged to marry Vaggia Nerli. They both belonged to Florence’s patrician elite. To mark this event, Lorenzo ordered lavish furnishings for his chamber in the Morelli palace, including these chests ('cassoni') and their backboards ('spalliere').

Lorenzo’s chest and spalliera panel tell stories from Roman history. Furius Camillus chased the Gauls from Rome, while Horatius Cocles single-handedly kept invaders from the city’s gates.

Lorenzo and his peers were taught to follow their example, and to be prepared to defend their families and the Florentine Republic.