Dante's Plaque: Gianfigliazzi Palace

. . . COM'IO RIGUARDANDO TRA LOR VEGNO, IN UNA BORSA GIALLA VIDI AZZURRO, CHE D'UN LEONE AVEA FACCIA E CONTEGNO.

DANTE, INF., XVII, 58-60.

… AND AS I GAZING ROUND ME COME AMONG THEM, ⁠UPON A YELLOW POUCH I AZURE SAW ⁠THAT HAD THE FACE AND POSTURE OF A LION. ⁠

Dante and Virgil cross the circle of usurers, where the damned have been condemned to sit on a layer of burning sand and stare at the bags (a symbol of their job) they wear around their necks, which depict the coat of arms of the noble families they belong to. Dante recognizes the Gianfigliazzi, thanks to the blue lion on a yellow field painted on the bags. The Gianfigliazzi family owned opulent mansions in the area of Via Tornabuoni (where Dante’s memorial plaque is) and in the adjacent Lungarno Corsini.