Allegory of August: Triumph of Ceres
Gherardo da Vicenza·1480
Historical Context
Gherardo da Vicenza's Allegory of August: Triumph of Ceres, painted around 1480 and now in the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, is part of one of the most remarkable painted room cycles in Italian Renaissance art — the Schifanoia months cycle in which each of the twelve months of the year is depicted in three horizontal registers showing the ruling planet, a zodiacal constellation, and a scene of Este court life. The triumph of Ceres, goddess of grain and harvest, is the appropriate deity for August, the month of the harvest. Gherardo da Vicenza contributed to this cycle alongside Francesco del Cossa, Ercole de' Roberti, and other Ferrarese masters working under the patronage of Borso d'Este.
Technical Analysis
Fresco on wall, part of the continuous fresco cycle of the Sala dei Mesi at the Palazzo Schifanoia. The Triumph of Ceres in the upper register shows the goddess on a triumphal car in the classical manner, drawn by symbolic animals.
