The Rape of Lucretia

In the pictureA pink brick palace fills the wide picture. On the left are mounted soldiers and a staircase, a woman stands inside the central doorway, and on the right are a man on a white horse and soldiers. Small figures are also visible in the upper windows, and the background is a blue sky.

BackgroundThe story of Lucretia, a Roman noblewoman who was raped by a prince and took her own life, after which the citizens overthrew the monarchy, was a symbol of the republic in Renaissance Florence. This panel decorated the front of a bride's marriage chest (cassone), and it continues in The Funeral of Lucretia in the same museum. The Master of Marradi is an anonymous painter who specialized in chest paintings like this.

Puzzle tipWith mostly pink brick pieces it looks hard at first, but the courses of brick show the direction. Fit the white horse, the figures' red clothing and the straight pieces of the windows and doors first, then fill the brick starting with the pieces that meet the sky at the top. 100 pieces work well.