This singular composition, which can be dated 1775, was painted at the height of the 18th century, although, in aesthetic terms, the Baroque was already in decline as it entered its final phase. Its decorative conception echoes the refinement of the rococo, although it draws much of its material from the anaglyphic repertory of the mature Renaissance—conveniently polished—when artists were recovering motives from the Roman ornamental tradition. Consequently, this work makes multiple references to the variegated world of upholstery, whose different schools and periods are manifest in both the decorative borders and the central areas of the canvases.

The main subject is a cherub riding a goose across a shelf with egg-shaped garlands on its edge. These appear to be of stone, although, theoretically, they are floating in the air. Judging by the bird and the other elements in this painting, the amusing figure must be quite small. Nude, with a pair of wings, he holds a long natural trumpet in his right hand and waves a laurel wreath or crown with his left. Both of these items are linked to the traditional iconography of fame, making this image an abstract allegory of that quality. Besides the curious couple described above—a lively little winged creature and his white, web-footed mount, whose impassive demeanor seems almost heraldic—numerous other elements are arranged in front of the deep-blue background. These are customary ornaments in Western civilization, such as scrolls, ribbons, tendrils, arabesques, leaves, a bouquet at the top, and two garlands at the base.

The compositional scheme reveals the ease with which Castillo imagines light, agreeable decorations, embellishments and other details to obtain a decorous, coherent, harmonious and well-structured whole. It belongs to a series of six works with different subjects but similar conception that represent, Painting, Architecture, Arithmetic, Music and Astronomy, as well as the present allegory of Fame. The details of these six pieces indicate that, as was to be expected, they were all painted for the same purpose. In fact, they were cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Bárbara in Madrid, where they were to be reproduced as tapestries for the Princess of Asturias’s cabinet at the Royal Palace of El Pardo (Text from Luna, J. J.: El bodegón español en el Prado. De Van der Hamen a Goya, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2008, p. 130).