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.
Artist | Biagio d'Antonio and Jacopo del Sellaio and Zanobi di Domenico |
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Artist dates | 1446 - 1516; about 1441 - 1493; active 1464 - 1474 |
Full title | Spalliera with the Arms of Lorenzo Morelli and Vaggia Nerli (The Morelli Spalliera) |
Date made | 1472 |
Medium and support | Tempera, oil and gold on wood |
Dimensions | 102.8 × 216 cm |
Acquisition credit | On loan from The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London |
Inventory number | L911.2 |
Location in Gallery | Room 58 |
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