L'Italo-Americano

ing cords originating from the s c a l e s . T h e c o r d s w i n d through 24 adjacent figures representing the people of Siena before it rises into the hands of the Comune. Loren- zetti flanks Comune with six beautiful female figures, each symbolic of virtuous govern- ment. To his left are Peace, Fortitude, and Prudence; to his right sit Magnanimity, Temperance, and Justice. Peace is half-reclined looking quite at ease; when the others are at work, she has no wor- ries. To complete the allegory, the Christian virtues of Faith, Charity, and Hope float in the heavens above Comune and the six figures of virtues. It was a prominent reminder to the Nine of the weight their decisions held in maintaining a flourishing and prosperous society. The left and right opposing walls hold the remaining pan- els of Lorenzetti's political essay. To the viewer's right is Effects of Good Govern- ment in the City and the Country, and that is precise- ly what is portrayed. City scenes give us an open gaze into shops, classrooms, con- struction, people doing daily business, and leisure in com- fort and peace. The country- s i d e p o r t r a y s a b e a u t i f u l panorama of sunny fields, vineyards, farmers planting and harvesting, nobility hunt- size and rich beauty. The 3 walls of murals were unique for their time. Commissioned by the Council of Nine rather than the church or a wealthy patron (unusual for that era), Lorenzetti made use of secu- lar rather than religious char- acters and themes. He also employed his knowledge of craftmanship as seen in his modernistic perspectives of architecture and forms. But it's the deep symbolism, more accurately the political warn- ing, that makes his Allegory most meaningful. The short story of the six- paneled cycle of murals is that tyranny and corruption cause ruin while honest rule brings prosperity and peace; howev- er, like a good mini-series, the fun is in the details. Situated on one end of the rectangular room is The Allegory of Good Government, a scene dominated by the female fig- ure of Justice and the male figure of Comune clothed in regal black and white to rep- resent Siena. Directly below Justice is the doorway from which the Nine would enter - nothing accidental about that! Justice is portrayed balancing a scale that is being held by Wisdom, the figure above her. To the left, an angelic figure beheads a criminal; to the right, rewards are given to the righteous. At Justice's feet is Concordance, a female hold- ing, and grazing livestock, while above an angelic figure named Security floats serene- ly. Ominous contrast is seen on the opposite wall in Alle- gory and Effects of Bad Government in the City and Country. The figure of Tyranny rules, a devil-like male seated in rule over a crumbling city. Bound and lifeless at his feet is the figure of Justice. His court is a coun- cil of six vices: Cruelty, Trea- son, Fraud, Fury, Divisive- ness, and War. Each cradle an o b j e c t s y m b o l i z i n g t h e i r goals, while overhead float winged figures representing Avarice, Pride, and Vainglory. In stark contrast to his peace- ful and prosperous scenes, Lorenzetti portrayed war, murder, crumbling buildings, and criminal acts. Fields and houses are on fire; overhead a menacing figure hovers above t h e s c e n e – i t s n a m e i s Terror. Lorenzetti's masterpiece, while allegorical, was not hard to interpret; the message was clear and made hard to ignore by the Nine. Its influ- ence eventually faded as rules c h a n g e d , y e t t h e m u r a l r e m a i n e d … j u s t a s i t d o e s today. Might the lessons it holds be as valid now as they were over 700 years ago? A beautiful work of medieval art could speak loudly if we let it. the attached bell tower wor- t h y o f a c l i m b , a n d the Museo Civico, a section of the building set apart as a m u s e u m . T h e s t r u c t u r e s themselves are marvel-wor- thy, but it's within one room that we find ground zero of the old Republic's political philosophy – the Sala dei N o v e ( H a l l o f N i n e ) . A n impressive room of approxi- m a t e l y 2 5 b y 4 8 f e e t , the Sala is home to Siena's famous mural, Allegory and Effects of Good and Bad Government (Ambrogio Lorenzetti, 1337-1339). It wasn't just the prominence a n d i m p o s i n g s i z e o f t h e room that made for a good location, however. As the name implies, the Sala dei Nove was where Siena's rul- ing body of nine magistrates convened, as well as gathered to hold audience with citi- z e n s . E a c h m e m b e r w a s appointed from a ruling-class family and allowed to serve only two months. During that period, the nine were clois- tered in the Palazzo, forbid- d e n t o e n t e r t h e o u t s i d e world. And as we'll discover, t h e m u r a l w a s a n o m n i p r e s e n t r e m i n d e r o f what lay at stake with each decision they made. Upon entering the Sala dei N o v e , L o r e n z e t t i ' s w o r k i m m e d i a t e l y i m p a c t s t h e viewer if only for its massive THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano I t ' s h a r d t o r e f r a i n from that involuntary gasp of awe and won- der when first step- ping through a tawny s t o n e p o r t a l i n t o Siena's Piazza del Campo. Magnificent medieval build- ings rim the fan-shaped piaz- za and its hubbub of lively o u t d o o r c a f é s . A l m o s t instantly the eye is drawn to the flooring – an outlay of nine massive triangular brick segments separated by veins of travertine. Converging as they follow the gentle slope of the piazza, the segments join at the entrance of the impres- s i v e P a l a z z o P u b b l i c o (c.1297), the age-old seat of Siena's civic headquarters. While beautiful to behold, this scene is more than an architectural masterpiece. Once a successful medieval city-state, Siena effectively combined civic government w i t h r e l i g i o u s o r d e r a n d wanted to remind her citizens daily of this unique political standing. The nine brick seg- ments represented Siena's ruling body – The Council of Nine (1285 – 1355), as well as the folds of Mary's cloak. Governing took place in the epicenter of the Piazza, within the Palazzo Pubblico rather than from within the church. And while the church was an integral part of the w e l l - r u l e d s o c i e t y , the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta sat outside the piaz- za, visible yet distinct. It all sounds pretty good… and it was until the Black Plague of 1348 brought Siena to her knees, never to fully recover. However, we're left with a treasure from that era, a painted masterpiece that, if scrutinized for its intended meaning and not just artistic value, serves as a blueprint for what made the Republic of S i e n a w o r k . A n d p e r h a p s there are still worthy take- aways to be had. The impressive civic build- ings at the apex of Piazza del Campo still house Siena's municipal offices. One can tour the Torre del Mangia, PAULA REYNOLDS ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES A picture is worth a thousand words: does Siena's famous mural speak today? Ambrogio Lorenzetti's fresco "Effect of Good Government" (Photo: Zoltan Tarlacz/Dreamstime) and (bottom right) Palazzo Pubblico and the famous Torre del Mangia (Photo: Madrabothair/Dreamstime)

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