\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 This painting, a companion piece to the \i Allegory of Vice\i0 also in the MusΘe du Louvre, used to be part of the decoration of Isab
ella dÆEste GonzagaÆs\i Studiolo \i0 in the Ducal Palace of Mantua. Its rich and complex iconography is generally interpreted as follows: the figure at the center of the composition is Minerva, triumphant, wreathed with laurel and in the act of receivin
g the palm of victory from the female figure standing behind her. Minerva holds a helmet in her left hand and the broken spear symbolizing her victorious combat in her right. She is trampling the dragon under foot. The woman on the left personifies, thro
ugh her attributes, the four cardinal virtues: Fortitude (symbolized by the lion skin), Prudence (the serpent), Justice (the sword) and Temperance (the reins). On the right a third female figure holds a pair of compasses against the celestial globe and i
s indicating the sky with her other hand: she has been identified as an embodiment of Astrology. Close to her, a naked child is also pointing at the globe. Above, three figures in flight hold a trumpet and lyre. The picture is meant to be an allegory of
the reign of Isabella dÆEste (symbolized by Minerva), whose benevolence is guaranteed by the guidance of the Virtues and the highest of sciences, those of the heavens.
