The Bolognese artist Prospero Fontana worked on several projects for Pope Julius III between 1550 and 1555, including the decoration of the Pope’s private residence, the Villa Giulia in Rome. This is a study for an oval relief in stucco, at the centre of a ceiling in the villa. The motif of Virtue subduing Fortune – meaning that the conduct of a virtuous life can overcome the whims of chance – was Julius’s personal device. No. 47