(text taken from The frescoes of the Castle of Valvasone, edited by Claudio Visintini; in particular, from contributions by Paolo Casadio and Enrica Cozzi) 

According to Prof. Enrica Cozzi, these frescoes, partially uncovered during restoration work in the years 1994-1994, represent a unique piece from an iconographic point of view, unmatched in the medieval figurative panorama known to us. They consist of three episodes, of an allegorical and courtly nature, dating back to around 1380-1390. The central panel, which is larger than the other two, depicts a sort of tree from whose trunk seven branches extend, hosting medallions with various scenes related to different moments of couple life with a male and a female character. 

According to Enrica Cozzi, the prototype may have been the sculptural work of the capitals in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, attributed to the workshop of Filippo Calendario active from 1344 until the early '50s of the 14th century, where The conjugal life and the activities of man can also be found. 

In the center, a large plant clump rises from the ground, painted at the base of the wall, and whose foliage hosts in the medallions, which originally were supposed to be seven, lively depictions, conceived as miniatures, "explained" by writings traced in red earth. 

On the sides of the vast composition enclosed by simple red frames, two rectangular panels extend horizontally divided by brick-red frames and closed at the bottom by a curtain.

On the right, the section with a scene of a courtly subject is still partly covered by the more recent, 15th-century layer, with geometric motifs of faux marble inlays and the depiction of a curtain, painted over the previous one. 

In the center of the wall, like a hanging tapestry, a plant clump with large leaves is painted, hosting seven globes with scenes inspired by moments of daily life. 

The composition is too incomplete, but the surviving fragments allow for an ideal reconstruction of the original scheme. Six globes were originally supposed to be symmetrically arranged on the sides of the central axis of the plant, which bears the seventh at the apex.

The large scrolls are painted with the same colors as the frieze: the clump roots in the ground, made visible by the recent restoration intervention, under the wide gap that extends over the central area of the section. 

The well-readable globes are four: of two, only fragments have been preserved, one is completely lost.

The reading of the scenes was supposed to start from the bottom left, proceeding clockwise.

The first medallion at the bottom left is almost completely lost: only a portion of the upper part with a female figure dressed in green has been preserved.

The clipeus above features five figures of boys engaged in play. In the foreground, there is a figure of a young boy taller than the other four, with blond hair, dressed in a green tunic and red stockings, holding a wand ending in a six-pointed star and playing horsey. To his right, two boys are wrestling. The same boys, dressed in red and white, are depicted to the left of the central figure: the boy dressed in red seems intent on singing to his companion, holding a small codex in his hand.

The inscription at the top reads: Qui cominciano a giocare. 

In the next medallion, a young man and a young woman are depicted standing facing each other. The man is dressed in a tight-fitting green and yellow bodice, which covers him down to the groin, and wears a headpiece with a long and narrow hood, and red stockings, and holds a mirror with his left hand. The female figure, elegantly dressed in a long, low-cut red gown with green and yellow horizontal stripes, has her hair tied with a red garland and gazes at herself in a circular mirror. The inscription traced at the shoulder height of the two young people reads "Qui cominciano a tenersi bene". 

In the medallion placed at the top of the tree, a family composed of a father, mother, and two children is depicted. 

The man seated on a stool next to a table rests his head inclined on his left arm and keeps his right arm resting on the table on which there are a small book, or notebook, with lined pages, six dice, a knife, and a container. 

The man gazes thoughtfully at his wife dressed in green with her head and neck covered by a sort of white cap. The woman holds with her right arm a child in a long yellow dress and holds the hand of the other child, slightly older, dressed in a two-tone red and yellow tunic. Above, behind the group, runs an inscription "Qui cominciano ad aver pensieri". 

Continuing to the right, the partially damaged clipeus presents two male figures: we find the man dressed with the red headgear; in front of him, a figure with a head covered by a tall hat and the neck protected by a red cloth; he wears a yellow cloak over a green dress. This character, to whom the rich clothing seems to confer a particular role, hands the other a scroll from which a seal hangs. 

To the left of the tree of life, there is a section divided horizontally into two parts: the upper area with figures, the lower with a faux curtain.

The protagonists of the upper section are two animals: a donkey sitting on a wooden chair with a backrest ending in a tympanum, with its hind legs crossed and its back covered by a red cloak trimmed with ermine fur, and a wolf standing on its hind legs with its head turned to the left. 

The donkey holds a parchment with its front legs, with letters of the alphabet traced in red A B C D E, resting its hooves on a wooden table. The donkey's attention is directed towards the wolf, which seems invited to observe the letters traced on the open scroll on the desk but, on the contrary, turning its snout to the left, seems to want to ignore the donkey's will. 

The section is enclosed at the bottom by a curtain hanging from a horizontal brick-red element, consisting of a yellow silk fabric, enriched with an ermine border, rendered with wide folds. 

According to Prof. Enrica Cozzi, it is a stunning allegorical scene on a theme known in the Middle Ages at least since the beginning of the 12th century: it is the well-known and discussed case of the capital found in the left matroneum of the cathedral of Parma. 

But, while in Parma we are in the Romanesque period and in an environment that could have been permeated by heretical movements, in Valvasone we are in a private castle and the scene is intended to assume local connotations, starting with the Wolf, which is the emblem of the local Lords. 

It remains to clarify the identity of the Donkey, which some scholars have interpreted as the Patriarch, others as the Podestà. The image of the Abecedary is also significant. 

On the right of the tree of life, there are four painted figures; a woman with fair skin and blonde hair on which a crown is placed, is depicted in the act of handing a young warrior a helmet topped with a crown. 

The woman is accompanied by two young girls playing a vielle and a small portable organ. 

The young man is depicted standing with arms crossed: he wears chainmail covering his neck and arms and has his body covered, down to his groin, by a leather vest and carries a sword at his side.

He also has fair skin, with blonde hair and beard, his hair gathered in a long tail secured by a red-cinnabar ribbon.