Round shields like this example were used in pageants and parades throughout the cities of Italy, and the earliest surviving examples date from about 1500. From about 1450 or earlier, religious cavalcades and ceremonial entries into cities were modelled on Ancient Roman triumphal processions, and mythological and historical subjects were thought suitable subjects for the shields used in such parades. This example is decorated with Roman soldiers and classical grotesques (arabesque motifs with fanciful figures). It is made of cuir bouilli, a technique which involves moistening one small area of leather at a time and then working it with specially heated implements to create relief decoration.