In the early seventeenth century, the palace at Quattro Fontane was one of Rome's most exquisite noble residences. Once owned by the Sforza family, the palace became the property of the Barberini family in 1625 after Maffeo Barberini's election as Pope Urban VIII two years earlier. Today, the palace exists much in its original state and is the home to the Galleria Nazionale dell’Arte Antica. Taddeo, Antonio, and Francesco Barberini, along with their uncle, the pope, had grandiose plans for the palace's remodel and decoration. The palace served the Barberini family as a suitable place to entertain foreign dignitaries, high-ranking cardinals, and noble families. During the reign of Urban VIII, the Barberini court would host banquets, celebrations, and music—especially opera. Today the museum is a hidden gem filled with displays of paintings by Raphael, Caravaggio, Gentileschi, and even Holbein. Those who visit the Galleria also know that the museum itself is a work of art with its grand design by Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a helicoidal spiraling staircase believed to be designed by Francesco Borromini, and ceilings filled with frescoes such as Pietro da Cortona's The Triumph of Divine Providence in the grand Salone. Distinguished guests would haveviewed these frescoes as both artworks and allegorical representations of the Barberini family's power.

One of the more complex fresco allegories is Andrea Sacchi's Allegoria della Divina Sapienza (Allegory of Divine Wisdom) in the palace's north wing. Sacchi's work on the fresco began in 1629 and was completed in 1631. When looking at the fresco, the viewer's eye is first drawn to a blazing golden sun and then to a second, miniature sun on the chest of Divine Wisdom, who sits upon the throne of Solomon. She is surrounded by virtues representing her attributes: Divinity, Sweetness, Eternity, Nobility, Justice, Fortitude, Beneficence, Perspicacity, Beauty, Purity, and Sanctity. Above them are two winged figures that symbolize the Love of God and the Fear of God. What makes this fresco's meaning complex is its astrological tale. A smattering of stars crosses the ceiling from end to end. A closer look reveals that the stars are arranged in specific constellations. These constellations— “il leone celeste,” or Leo, and “la constellatione del leper,” or Lepus, along with Virgo and Libra—were an intentional part of the program for this fresco.