The Conquest of Naples by Charles of Durazzo

Painted in Florence, this elaborately decorated panel was part of a chest (cassone). Its three episodes recount the conquest of Naples by Charles III of Durazzo, who defeated the forces of Otto of Brunswick in 1381. At the right, the armies clash; in the center, Otto's troops (recognizable by their distinctive haircut) surrender to Charles; at the left, the victors enter the conquered city. The prominent pennants and coats of arms in the spandrels are those of the Durazzo and the kings of Hungary, and it has been argued that the chest was ordered after September 1382, when Charles III claimed the crown of Hungary. The monarch formed a strong alliance with Florence which may explain the presence of a Florentine painter who has been associated with a number of other secular works.