Diligence and Fame (RCIN 402942) were given to Charles I in 1635 by Cardinal Francesco Barberini as diplomatic gifts. They were specifically chosen as "antichi" ("old") pictures, to cater to the tastes of the English King. After being attributed to Giulio Romano, Parmigianino and Frans Floris, in 2012, Alessandra Pattanaro convincingly linked the pictures to Camillo Filippi, a Ferrarese painter who worked in the studio of the brothers Dosso and Battista Dossi. Known for his richly-coloured, graceful paintings, Filippi was considered a successful painter in his own time. From the early 1550s he worked in collaboration with his two sons, Bastianino and Cesare.

The virtue of 'Diligence' is here embodied by a full-length female figure, facing slightly to the right. She wears a long olive-brown dress with a billowing wine red robe over her left shoulder, leaving her right breast exposed. With her left hand, Diligence lifts a crown of myrtle, resting her right hand on a closed book, surrounded by objects that refer to the arts (sculpture, a palette, musical instruments), to literature (an inkwell, books) and war (a helmet). These references to the arts refer to the virtue of diligence of those who practice them. Industriousness is also a feature of diligence, represented by the hourglass on the table.