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Artwork

Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene

Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene, unspecified, 1520
Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene, unspecified, 1520

Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This circular painting depicts six figures within an interior space featuring a tiled floor.

About this work

Six figures fill a round composition in a tiled room. The man at the center holds a sword in one hand and small scales in the other, two companions close by and the rest watching from the sides. A curtain frames a window onto a castle. The scales and his serious look point to a scene of justice. Painted around 1520.

Subject & Meaning

The composition embodies the traditional personification of justice, using the scale to signify measured judgment and the sword to denote authority.

The roundel presents an allegorical judgment scene in which a solitary male figure holds a weighing scale while a coin rests on one pan, a sword positioned nearby. The composition embodies the traditional personification of justice, using the scale to signify measured judgment and the sword to denote authority. As an allegory of moral evaluation, the work conveys the notion that wealth or material concerns are weighed against ethical conduct.

Executed circa 1520, the painting is classified as an allegorical work and is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.

History & Provenance

The work titled Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene, dated 1520, is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It belongs to the museum’s collection of paintings, though the specific accession or inventory number is not listed in the consulted records. The piece is classified as an allegorical painting and depicts a coin, a man, a weighing scale, and a sword. No exhibition history is documented for this work in the sources examined.

Overview

This circular painting depicts six figures within an interior space featuring a tiled floor. A central male figure, seated, holds both a sword and a small set of scales, suggesting a theme of judgment or balance. Two individuals stand near him, while the remaining figures observe from the periphery. A curtain partially conceals a window, revealing a distant, fortified structure outside.

Roundel with Justice
Roundel with Justice

Artist & collection

SAME SUBJECT

Similarity 96 percent

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Frequently asked questions

Where can I see Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene?

Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene?

Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene is associated with Northern Renaissance.