05/18/2026
Step into an epic tale of warriors, mythology, and Renaissance artistry !
This painted panel originally decorated a cassone, or hope chest. The panel was painted by Apollonio di Giovanni de Tomaso, an artist who worked in Florence, Italy and specialized in decorating cassone. The painting tells the story of Camilla and illustrates an episode from Aeneas by Virgil (70-18 B.C.E.), Book XI. The whole story, presented in continuous narrative, depicts many scenes from the tale within the space of the panel.
Camilla’s father, Metabus, was a cruel king who was forced to flee his kingdom. Carrying his baby daughter Camilla, he was unable to cross a river, which blocked his escape. With enemies closing in behind him, he tied his daughter to his spear and hurled it over the river to the other side. Then, he vowed that Camilla would dedicate her life to the service of Diana, goddess of the forest. In order to fulfill her responsibility, Camilla was brought up as a huntress and a warrior. Later, she became Queen of the Volscians, warrior maidens who joined the hero, Turnus, in his campaign against Aeneas. Scenes from the later part of the story are also pictured on the panel. For example, in the upper center panel, Camilla is depicted in training as a warrior. In the center, she is shown on a white horse, wearing a gray dress topped by armor, saying goodbye to Turnus as she and her warrior maidens lead the attack on the Trojans. To the right, Camilla, now riding a black horse, is shown in battle. She rides just beyond a foot soldier with a raised sword. This is probably Arruns, an Etruscan, who later kills Camilla and, in turn, is killed by an arrow from Diana’s own golden bow.
See “Camilla at the Battle between the Latins and the Trojans” at the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts.
Camilla at the Battle between the Latins and the Trojans (about 1450), tempera on panel by Apollonio di Giovanni de Tomaso (Italian, 1415-1465). The James Philip Gray Collection, 63.01.
