Liberale da Verona
This panel once formed the front of a cassone—a marriage chest, popular in Renaissance Italy. It depicts a scene from an unidentified story or novella in which the pair plays a sensually charged game of chess, with the woman close to defeat. Such themes were common in Renaissance love literature. The figures’ bleached-blond, frizzy hair (amazing, no?) reflects the height of fashion in 15th-century Siena. Liberale was an accomplished illuminator and a painter who worked in Siena and Verona between 1467 and 1476. He was strongly influenced by Andrea Mantegna and Jacopo Bellini and featured in the Lives of Giorgio Vasari.
To all Eastern Christians, have a wonderful Easter celebration!
P.S. Chess might seem like an unusual topic for artists, but it was quite often depicted in art history. Explore the world of chess in art!
P.P.S. From sensually charged chess games to dazzling fashion, Renaissance art is full of surprises. Explore them in our Italian Renaissance 50 Postcards Set.