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The decorative system in this room is itself a significant part of the message of this work, for it shows us an accurate image of Cardinal Giovanni Ricci as a well-to-do, eclectic collector as interested in fine arts and objets d'art as in expensive curiosities. Salviati in his frescoes shows his reverence for these interests and the taste of his patron.
That the decoration is intended to show the wealth and fortune of its patron is made clear to the observer in a different way: the various hangings beneath the main paintings all have as their protagonist a small hedgehog (riccio in Italian), the patron's impresa, which cannot be seen at first glance but is clear on closer inspection. He is here illuminated by the sun; above him Fortuna and other gods empty their cornuscopiae.
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