painted in Italy or anywhere since ancient Roman times. The painting shows
the forti¿ ed town that was captured, a fortress, and battle encampments.
The “toy” towns in the painting are still large because of the fresco’s
40-foot width.
We now take a close look at the groups of frescoes that are the Allegories of
Good and Bad Government in the Sala della Pace, Palazzo Pubblico. Our
photo shows only the two walls with the Allegory of Good Government;
the other wall, Bad Government, has deteriorated considerably. The hall
is directly behind the large council chamber and was the room where the
“nine lords” or governors of Siena met. Simone
had been the city’s of¿ cial painter, but when
he moved to Avignon, Ambrogio Lorenzetti
succeeded him in Siena, and he ful¿ lled this
important commission.
Ambrogio’s Allegory of Good Government,
representing the Commune of Siena (1338–
1339), is on the end wall. The personi¿ ed image
of Siena is the huge old man holding a scepter
and orb, dressed in the colors of the republic,
and À anked by the cardinal and theological
virtues, while the Three Graces—Faith, Hope, and Charity—hover above.
Farther to the left, the large female ¿ gure is Justice personi¿ ed, dispensing
rewards and punishments. Wisdom À oats above Justice. he citizens who
made up the Great Council are arrayed across the front on a lower stage.
Peace, the ¿ gure for whom this hall is named (Sala della Pace), ¿ nds herself
with nothing to do, so effective is the government. She lolls idly in the center
in a white dress between Siena and Justice. Ambrogio borrowed her pose
from an ancient Roman sarcophagus still in the Palazzo Pubblico today.
Effects of Good Government in the City and the Country is a continuous, wall-
length painting—about 46 feet long—surely the most important monumental
civic image in Italy during the 14th century. These may be allegories of
government, but unlike the allegory of the Commune that we just saw, these
ignore symbolic images and concentrate on 14th-century Siena. We will look
Siena was a bitter
rival to Florence, 45
miles to the north,
which like Siena,
had important
banking operations
throughout Europe.