Siena 9

More City Museum

All over Siena are images of the She-wolf and Romulus and Remus

… in various iterations

After various antechambers, this was the next big room. The Sala del Mappamondo: the room of the map of the world, though the map is long gone. The map was actually of Siena and environs, so the name was a slight exaggeration. This room is the pride of Siena (one of them), with very valuable paintings of battles won, a Madonna with the patron saints of the city and other saints and angels (above, called a Maesta), and scenes of late medieval life. And hidden doors. 

This goes under the staircase on the other side of the wall. 

This goes into the thickness of the dividing wall to the neighboring chapel room, seen in the top of the picture.

Notice another wolf and twins on the side wall.

Siena was always fighting with Florence for area supremacy. Sometimes they won, and made paintings about those, but eventually they lost entirely and came under the rule of the Medici for the next several centuries, with all of Tuscany. 

Siena’s Golden Age was in the 1200’s. They lost half their population to the Black Death in the 1300’s, and never fully recovered, though they did continue to expand for a while. By the 1900’s, the city was a poverty-stricken backwater, that didn’t recover until quite recently with tourism, industry, and banking. 

A very poor photo, but this fellow is the hero of the room, and must be noted. This is Guidoriccio da Fogliano during the Siege of the Castle of Montemassi of 1328. Of the left is the besieged castle. He led the victory.

Then through another antechamber or hall, with a metal screen and more wolf and twins….

…..and a monumental St. Christopher fresco….

….. is a beautiful small chapel

……with exquisitely decorated seats inlaid and carved.

Chapel ceiling 

To be continued….

Siena 8

More

On another day we went to the city museum. It houses the rooms used for state gatherings, very sumptuous. 

The courtyard 

The first grand room is the Unification of Italy room. It has frescoes of historic scenes, some sculptures, and ornamental paintings on the architectural elements.

I wanted to climb up there and fix the paintings: horse heads too small, legs too long, and riders proportionately too small. But, it is beautifully painted and I don’t really like to climb, so I guess it’s fine the way it is. 



The ceiling

In the next room from an earlier period, about the life and times of a pope

The vaulting work

Very fine draperies and figures 

A close up of the old glass in the windows. 

A door into a room now used for conferences. 

A large beautiful remnant above a door

A ceiling detail

To be continued…

Siena 7

Next

The view! 

In several churches and chapels we found Crèches still up. In one religious establishment - not a church - with a porch- like entry, we saw this beautiful one. The lights changed from “night” to “day.” And all the landscape and buildings and figures were meticulously made. The Italians, being originators of the Nativity scene, are very serious about theirs. No dozen plastic  figures set on a bare space for them.



The whole display, about six feet long. 

The market in the town

Wouldn’t it be delightful to build one of these?

When Epiphany comes, the Wise men are moved closer to worship the Christ Child. ( Yes, still in the manger, but at least they wait their turn)



And they present to Him their gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

There will be a couple more crèches to see, the last being a phenomenal work of art.

Intermezzo

Back To Switzerland 

We arrived back and are at the busys again, but I will show you more pictures of Siena. 

For now -

On the train ride getting back into Switzerland 

Frosty windows and lots of snow and subzero temperatures 

Sunshine now and again

Hibernating plants. It’s colder than normal, so we hope lavender and greenhouse plants survive.

Very fluffy pony

A fine bottle of artistic wine 

An Italian cook for my kitchen 

Back to Siena next time….

Siena 6

Hands, and Some Feet

Note different styles and poses and execution. They range from amorphous to doughy to elongated to contorted to well-wrought. (Again, please excuse the atrocious lighting and glares.)

These need some puzzling to figure out. It’s a kneeling figure. 

These are finely modeled hands and feet. King David, wood.

Doughy hands all over the place

Nicely wrought hands

Health and sickliness

Feet, shod and un-

Expressive hands.