Today we had an early start as we ventured to Siena, another Tuscan hillside town just south of Florence. We visited the Duomo, Mueso dell’ Opera, the “so called” crypt, the Baptistery, the Piazza del Campo, and finally the Palazzo Pubblico. I will go through each location separately in the following text.
Background of Siena:
We have been spending much time on the history of Florence but what about its rival city Siena? Siena began to flourish because it was located en route of a major travel road between Rome and France. Siena is famous for two important monuments: the cathedral complex (Duomo) and the Palazzo Publico (city hall). Both have towers that were built to be equivalent heights when seen on the horizon, which was an architectural feat considering the church was on a much higher plot of land than the Palazzo. Siena wanted a connection to Rome so they made their own version of the Romulus and Remus she-wolf story. The Sienese claimed that before Romulus killed Remus, Remus had a son, Senius, who founded the city. The two sons, Aschius and Senius, had a black horse and a white horse respectively, which is how Siena obtained its city colors, black and white (balzana).
Siena and Florence have been rival cities throughout history. On September 4th, 1260 there was a famous battle at Montaperti where the Sienese beat the Florentines. Before the battle the Sienese prayed to the Virgin for protection and ultimately victory. When this prayer was fulfilled the city of Siena was dedicated to the Virgin and the citizens soon after supported the cult of the Virgin. This brings us to our first monument…
The Duomo:
Since the 9th century there has been at Church in this location in Siena, in the 12th century however, the Sienese wanted to build a Cathedral that would rival the Duomo in Florence. The structure was finished in the 13th century and the façade, by the 14th century. Nicola Pisano’s son, Giovanni, is credited with the façade sculptures commissioned around 1270 (all of which are now housed in the Mueso dell’ Opera and replaced with 19th century replicas). This duomo, like the entire city, is dedicated to the Virgin. At the top of the façade there is a large mosaic depicting Christ crowing the Virgin, symbolizing her status as Queen of Heaven.
Upon entering the church you are met with a very impressive interior, far grander than the interior of the Florentine Duomo. The columns and walls are constructed of black and white marble stripes (Siena’s colors), the ceiling is painted a deep blue and covered in golden stars, the floor, when totally uncovered, is also a artistic masterpiece. Colored marble cutouts, by Beccafumi, are laid out to form narrative scenes called an intarsia effect, which cover the pavement complex. This technique is reminiscent of how a mosaic is constructed. 
The first work we focused on was Donatello’s John the Baptist. This bronze sculpture depicts Donatello’s ragged and rough sculpture style and is reminiscent of his Mary Magdalene in the Mueso dell’Opera de Duomo in Florence. The ascetic John the Baptist is very burly and rugged; the detailing of the hair is visible as well as deep inset eyes and a heavy brow, which make his attributes perceivable from a distance below. Donatello didn’t seem to like Siena and did most of the work on this statue while in Florence and sent it to the duomo for final touches.
Before moving to the pulpit we discussed how the church is divided artistically. On the lower parts of the walls and columns the earthly realm is represented and sometimes pagan elements. However if you examine the artwork nearer to the ceiling one will find popes and angels and the more heavenly realm. It is separated this way because the earthly depictions are near to the people and the earth is where the people are, meanwhile the windows where the light pour into the church, nearer to the ceiling, represent the heavens and where people aspire to get to.
Next we examined the famous pulpit by Nicola Pisano. The elaborate stairs and back portion were added later but the main pulpit section is from the 1260s. Around the top one can find a Christ cycle. First there is the nativity relief, where Pisano shows multiple scenes in one narrative: the visitation, the birth, and the shepherds coming. The next panel depicts the adoration of the magi. It is sculpted in high relief and the figures in the upper registers are bent forward really including the viewer in the scene. There is a compound perspective to this piece as we see parts from di sotto in su, like the horses’ bellies, and other parts from straight on, like the tilted faces so we don’t see only their chins. The scenes that follow are the massacre of the innocents, the crucifixion, the blessed in paradise, and it comes full circle (octagon) with the dammed in hell facing close to the high altar.
We finished in the Piccolomini library with frescoes of scenes from the life of Pius II. The room was lined with music manuscripts for the choir and had an antique sculpture of the three graces. Mueso dell’ Opera:
The most famous piece in this museum is Duccio’s Maesta.This painting was commissioned after they beat the Florentines to replace the altarpiece with a larger image in praise and thanks to Mary. On the front side is depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with saints and on the back, facing the choir, is a Christ cycle. Duccio, a famous Sienese painter, paints the Madonna with almond shaped eyes, grey toned skin, and in rich ultramarine blue robes. For the scenes on back there are a few panels that are larger than the others: the crucifixion, the garden scene, and when Judas turns over Christ to the Roman soldiers. These bigger scenes signify that they are moments to be focused on for devotion. Unfortunately this altarpiece has been deconstructed and panels have been lost over the ages.
On the adjoining wall is Lorenzitti’s Birth of the Virgin painted in 1347. Elements in the painting, like the blue stared ceilings place the scene back in the duomo. This tells the viewers that the Madonnas home is within the duomo of Siena. This is also a compound perspectival piece. The lines on the bedding as well as the tiles on the floor lead to one point perspective with a vanishing point, however, the vaults are seen from di sotto in su.
After we saw the Madonna with large eyes which used indentations and 3D elements to make the picture more lively. Duccio’s Maesta replaced this piece. We quickly climbed the arches of the unfinished new nave of the church and looked out onto a beautiful view of the city. “So Called” Crypt:
This area under the church was recently found and historians assume it was a crypt even though they have not found any bones. The area was built and beautifully frescoed in the 1280s and then filled in and the Baptistery was constructed on top before it was ever used. Another theory is that this space was a southern entrance to the Church. The frescoes and scenes seem very mixed up and out of place causing art historians to have trouble discerning the function, ground level, and other aspects of the rooms. Interestingly, this is one of the only places in the world where ultramarine and gold has been used a secco and has been preserved making this a wonderful stop for anyone interested in art history. 
Baptistery:
In the center of the Baptistery the font is decorated with a series of bronze reliefs. Ghiberti and Donatello constructed the most famous panels. Ghiberti’s panel here is much more detailed than his famous doors in Florence. Also Donatello’s typical squashed relief style (extremely low relief) is demonstrated. Lastly, the dancing angels atop the font are also bronze castings by Donatello.
Piazza del Campo:
Next we ventured to the famous Piazzo del Campo. This area was a large sloping public square. It is divided into 9 sections to mimic the nove, or nine elected officials who served 2-month terms on an executive board. This area is famous for the century old tradition of an annual horse race called the Palio. At the top of the piazza there is a fountain that portrays nude figures and secular imagery, a very unusual choice for a public artistic depiction at this time. With stomachs growling we stopped for a group lunch and enjoyed homemade pasta and tiramisu!Palazzo Publico:
The last stop on our adventure was the Palazzo Pubblico, the old city hall with the soaring bell tower (also rivaling the Florentine tower). In the first room there is a large fresco by Simone Martini. It depicts the Virgin as the Queen of heaven under a canopy; she is flanked by the patron saints of Siena, Ansanus, Savintus, Crescentius, Victor, and angels. Mary’s blonde hair is visible showing the more poetic and beautiful side of the Virgin. This is significant because it was painted around the same time Dante had just finished part of his Comedy beginning a movement involving poetry and poetic forms in art. Another interesting facet is that this depiction of Mary is within the governmental building, this is because in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries religion and government were very much intertwined.
Next we moved to the Room of the Nine Governors and Defenders of the Commune with a fresco cycle by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. The murals display what the city would look like if the nove ruled it. There were depictions of good and bad government and their respective towns with everyday life scenes. Bad government was depicted with tyranny as the ruler with devil horns and justice in chains. The accompanying scene has beggars in the streets and people are leaving the town armed. Meanwhile, the wall with good government depicts the Sienese ruler in the town colors surrounded by the virtues. In the town there is trade between people, dancing, and happy citizens leaving the city. There is also a light source right in the center of the town that illuminates all the good facets of a town under just ruling. Interestingly, there are no religious depictions anywhere in the scene of good government; this is most likely to elicit the fact that government under a peaceful ruler doesn’t necessarily need to involve the church. 
Dan and Tom gave us a wonderful presentation to illuminate these facts and the setup of the different governmental scenes. They moved on to discus a debate about the figures dancing in the peaceful town. Art historians disagree on the gender of these dancers. Skinner says they must be male because they have short hair, visible ankles, and the designs on their dresses. Campbell argues that the dancers are like the larva depicted on their dresses meaning they are neither male nor female. They agree however that the nine dancers are in groups of three that symbolize joy, peace, and glory. This debate shows that the art is two-faceted and can be interpreted with political or poetic connotations. Enjoy,
Allie :)
