The Triumph of Fame; (reverse) Impresa of the Medici Family and Arms of the Medici and Tornabuoni Families

Scheggia's Triumph of Fame with the Medici arms on the reverse from around 1449 is a painted birth tray or desco da parto, one of the most characteristically Florentine of all painted objects — presented at the birth of a child from a prominent family and displayed as a memento of the occasion. The Triumph of Fame, showing a winged figure on a chariot drawn by elephants, derives from Petrarch's Trionfi and carried humanist associations with literary and civic immortality appropriate for a family birth. The Medici-Tornabuoni arms on the reverse identify the occasion as a birth in the Tornabuoni family, allied to the Medici. Scheggia, Giovanni di ser Giovanni, was the younger brother of Masaccio and a prolific producer of such secular painted objects for prosperous Florentine families.

The tempera, silver, and gold technique on the circular tray creates a richly decorative surface. The Triumph procession is depicted in the miniaturist detail appropriate to the domestic object, with precise drawing and bright, festive colors. The gold and silver accents add luxurious brilliance to the celebratory image.