Allegory of Justice

During the Italian Renaissance, Law was depicted through two contrasting concepts: Natural Law (Lex Naturalis) and Written Law (Lex Scripta). Vincenzo Borghini incorporated these allegories into the 1577 festival for Filippo de' Medici's baptism in Florence (La descrizione della pompa, e dell'apparato fatto in Firenze...Florence, 1577). Written Law was often personified as a clothed woman holding a book, while Natural Law, as depicted in the present painting, was suggested by a minimally clothed or nude woman. This theme is further reinforced by the coupling doves in the painting, symbolizing the natural laws governing animals.

The figure's pose here closely resembles, though is not identical to, Jacopo Sansovino's Bacchus (Museo del Bargello, Florence). As one of sixteenth century Florence's most celebrated sculptures, it likely inspired this unidentified artist. This figure comes particularly close to the Personification of Architecture in Santi di Tito's fresco Solomon Ordering the Construction of the Temple of Jerusalem (Chapel of S. Luca, Santissima Annunziata, Florence) and shares some similarities with paintings by Agostino Ciampelli.