Explore the History of this artwork.
The painting was the fourth commissioned by Isabella d'Este for her studiolo, after two canvasses by Andrea Mantegna (Parnassus and the Triumph of the Virtues, respectively from 1497 and 1499-1502) and Perugino's Combat of Love and Chastity (1503). 
The subject was provided by the court poet Paride of Ceresara and was initially assigned to Mantegna. However, after the latter's death in 1506, he was replaced by Lorenzo Costa, who deleted all the work made by his predecessor. Isabella liked the painting, and this granted Costa the position as the new court painter of the Gonzaga of Mantua.
Duke Charles I of Nevers gifted this and the other paintings in the studiolo to Cardinal Richelieu, and the Allegory thus went to Paris. After belonging to several collections, it became part of the collections of the Louvre Museum.
Charles I of Nevers Triumph of the Virtues Gonzaga Parnassus Combat of Love and Chastity Mantua Lorenzo Costa Andrea Mantegna Perugino Louvre Cardinal Richelieu Paris Paride of Ceresara Louvre Museum