Parade shield

The center of this precious parade shield seems to refer to the 18th and 19th chapters of the Iliad in which Teti descends from Olympus to give her son, Achilles, the armor forged for him by Hephaistos/Vulcan. In the surrounding circles are depicted Fame, the sacrifice of Marcus Curtius, Hercules and the nemean lion and a bust perhaps of Athena. On the reverse are depicted Fame and Mucius Scaevola. Currently, it is not possible to determine whether this shield was constructed in Milano, Florence, or Ferrara, nor to be more precise about the dating. There are tangential affinities with arms in metal, but embossed leather parade shields seem to have more in common with other objects in boiled leather, leading to the hypothesis of specialized workshops. As are all other objects in the museum, it still is displayed in its original place in the home, and thus contributes to the "authentic time capsule" ambiance. The museum collections include paintings by the Bellini brothers, Zenale, Giampietrino and others, sculptures, furnishings and furniture, majolica, glass, arms, armor, objets d'art in various media, wrought iron daily objects, scientific and musical instruments, tapestries and gilded metal objects.