Reward

In 1574 a fire damaged the rooms of the Doge's Palace where the Venetian government met, and the Sala del Collegio had to be rebuilt. It was an important room to get right. Here the doge and his councillors sat to receive foreign ambassadors. The new room followed a design by Andrea Palladio, and between 1575 and 1578 Veronese filled its ceiling with 11 canvases, set into a gilded wooden frame carved by Francesco Bello and Andrea da Faenza. Around the three large central scenes sit eight female figures of the virtues that were meant to guide the Republic, painted on awkward L- and T-shaped canvases, which is why this one has a corner missing. Each is identified by what she carries, a dog for Fidelity, a lamb for Meekness, a crane for Vigilance. This one is Reward, and her attribute is the small die she holds out at arm's length.