Within Renaissance society, great emphasis was placed on the continuation of the lineage. Politically and economically advantageous alliances were meticulously negotiated and lavishly celebrated. This was only possible with extravagant spending and those who could afford it paid vast sums of money to fete the occasion. An elaborate courtship involved the exchange of many gifts particularly associated with, and often made especially for, the ritual. Therefore, art objects had a specific role in the practical business of arranging a marriage, translating tangible wealth in to signifiers of abstract virtue.

Love was a major iconographic theme in the decoration of maiolica. Besides the amorous themes from myth and legend, there exist numerous plates painted with the idealised portrait of a woman, often accompanied by her name. Known as belle donne (beautiful women) plates, these have usually been interpreted as tokens of love relating to courtship and marriage, and reflect the concerns with courtly standards of beauty, believed to be an outward show of inner virtue, found in contemporary treatises. In this example both a man and woman are depicted. The man holds a red carnation, which is particularly associated with betrothal, and behind the pair runs the motto DULCE EST AMARE (sweet is love).