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The Triumph of Fame by Giovanni di ser Giovanni Guidi

Giovanni di ser Giovanni Guidi · 1448-01-01

View the artwork: The Triumph of Fame →

This is The Triumph of Fame, painted in 1448 by Giovanni di ser Giovanni Guidi, known as Lo Scheggia, the younger brother of the revolutionary Masaccio. It was never meant to hang on a wall. It was a panel from the front of a cassone, a decorated wedding chest made for a wealthy Florentine family.

Look at the ornate pedestal beneath the winged figure of Fame. The gilded rope-twist frame is original, a deliberate Florentine decorative choice for luxury domestic furniture. Now look closely at the empty space on that plinth. Fame's lower body has been severed. The wood panel itself was cut apart, likely in the 19th century, when Renaissance cassoni were routinely broken up and sold as individual pictures by dealers who could make more money that way.

The missing fragment, the lower portion of the plinth with a group of kneeling knights, survives. It hangs today in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Chambéry, France, four hundred miles from its upper half. Two museums, one wedding chest. The elder brother Masaccio died young and changed painting forever. Scheggia, 'the Splinter,' outlived him by decades and spent his career making objects for people's homes, objects later torn apart for profit.

A painting cut in two. A family story split across countries. What does it mean for Fame to be physically severed from the knights she was meant to crown?

#arthistory #earlyrenaissance #loScheggia

Details

The carved and gilded circular frame is itself an artwork , the rope-twist molding was a deliberate Florentine decorative choice that reinforces the elite domestic context of this cassone panel.
The carved and gilded circular frame is itself an artwork , the rope-twist molding was a deliberate Florentine decorative choice that reinforces the elite domestic context of this cassone panel.
The allegorical heart of the painting , Fame stands with outstretched wings and arms raised, presiding over the mortal procession below; her elevated position and brilliant white robe make her the compositional anchor.
The allegorical heart of the painting , Fame stands with outstretched wings and arms raised, presiding over the mortal procession below; her elevated position and brilliant white robe make her the compositional anchor.
The single white horse stands out dramatically against the darker mounts, drawing the eye to the center of the parade and conferring dignity on its rider.
The single white horse stands out dramatically against the darker mounts, drawing the eye to the center of the parade and conferring dignity on its rider.
The tight cluster of helmeted figures in steel-grey armor with vivid red cloaks conveys collective martial might; their forward movement propels the triumphal narrative.
The tight cluster of helmeted figures in steel-grey armor with vivid red cloaks conveys collective martial might; their forward movement propels the triumphal narrative.
Mirroring the left group, these riders complete the encircling procession; the colorful layering of cloaks over armor gives texture to the ceremonial event.
Mirroring the left group, these riders complete the encircling procession; the colorful layering of cloaks over armor gives texture to the ceremonial event.
Transcript

A triumphant procession circles a grand pedestal. Fame herself stands above it all, sounding her trumpet. But she was not always alone on that plinth. A gilded rope-twist frame still holds the panel together. This was not a single painting. It was cut from a wedding chest. Where Fame's lower body should be, the wood is simply gone. The missing piece is a group of kneeling knights, now in a museum in France.