Banquet Scene from the Tale of Nastagio degli Onesti, in Boccaccio's "Decameron"

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Banquet Scene from the Tale of Nastagio degli Onesti, in Boccaccio's "Decameron"

Late 15th century

David Ghirlandaio (David Bigordi) (Italian (active Florence), 1452–1525)

This painting illustrates an episode from Boccaccio's Decameron, a collection of stories written from 1348 to 1353. The woman being chased is a ghost, who is captured and slaughtered every week by the knight she had scorned in life. When Nastagio, the young man in the foreground, learns that this spectacle takes place every Friday afternoon, he hosts a banquet at the site. Among his guests he includes a young woman who has refused his love. She is so moved by the scene that she consents to marry him.

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Object Details

Title:

Banquet Scene from the Tale of Nastagio degli Onesti, in Boccaccio's "Decameron"

Date:

Late 15th century

Artist:

David Ghirlandaio (David Bigordi) (Italian (active Florence), 1452–1525)

Medium:

Tempera on panel

Dimensions:

27 5/8 × 53 1/2 inches (70.2 × 135.9 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

John G. Johnson Collection, 1917

Accession Number:

Cat. 64

Geography:

Made in Italy, Europe

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