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Social Closure and the Arts in Late Medieval Siena

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Social Closure and the Arts in Late Medieval Siena Social Closure and the Arts in Late Medieval Siena A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Laura M. Dobrynin June 2012 © 2012 Laura M. Dobrynin. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled Social Closure and the Arts in Late Medieval Siena by LAURA M. DOBRYNIN has been approved for the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and the College of Fine Arts by Charles S. Buchanan Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts Charles A. McWeeny Dean, College of Fine Arts 3 ABSTRACT DOBRYNIN, LAURA M., Ph.D, June 2012, Interdisciplinary Arts Social Closure and the Arts in Late Medieval Siena Director of Dissertation: Charles S. Buchanan During the late Middle Ages, a remarkable phenomenon occurred in Italy: the growth of many small, self-governing city-states, which included Siena. At this time the Sienese commune was administered by a succession of elected ruling councils: the Ventiquattro, the Trentasei, and the Nove. Despite being mired in social and political turmoil, these regimes sponsored great works of art. This dissertation argues that the arts were a fundamental component of these administrations’ ability to rule because of the way that cultural production helped to create and spread new conceptions of social class. This project examines two areas of the arts either commissioned, or created, by the Trentasei, Ventiquatttro, and the Nove: a set of eighteen painted book covers from the government financial offices of the Biccherna and Gabella, and the Palazzo Pubblico complex (which includes the town’s main square). Through the methods of iconology and social closure it demonstrates how each of these arts, over time, acted as fulcrums through which members of Siena’s various social groupings attempted to monopolize certain cultural advantages by usurping privileges held by others and/or by excluding (or attempting to exclude) outside groups. Such cultural advantages included: displaying coats of arms and last names, possessing a palace and tower, and accessing the space of the city’s piazza. The structural relationships that were made as groups sought to usurp/exclude others from participation in these arts created the city’s social classes. 4 This dissertation provides an interdisciplinary bridge between socio-political and art historical analyses on late medieval Siena. It fills an important gap between the detailed social histories of the city, whose methodologies have not allowed the detailed examination of the evidence provided by the arts, and traditional art historical approaches, for which Sienese society tends to be a backdrop to other concerns, such as patronage, technique, and iconography. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Charles S. Buchanan Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Sincere thanks to Dr. Charles Buchanan and Dr. Marilyn Bradshaw for all of your patience, encouragement, and insight. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction: ...................................................................................................................... 11 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 17 Previous Studies ................................................................................................................ 24 Chapter 1: The Book Covers of the Biccherna and Closure in Thirteenth Century Siena 30 The Iconography of the Nobili of the Ventiquattro: 1258-1271 ................................... 34 The Interlude of the ‘Mercatores’ of the Trentasei: 1271-1287 ................................... 53 Chapter 2: The Biccherna and Gabella Book Covers and the Media Gente of the Nove . 66 Chapter 3: Media Gente Closure and Urban Construction ............................................... 92 The Palazzo Pubblico ................................................................................................... 93 The Torre del Mangia ................................................................................................. 117 Chapter 4: The Control of a Center: La Piazza del Campo ............................................ 135 Conclusion: The Nove Ends, but the Noveschi Stay ...................................................... 161 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 168 Appendix A: Biccherna Panel Fragments ....................................................................... 214 Appendix B: A List Of Missing Biccherna And Gabella Panels .................................... 215 Appendix C: 1277 Casati List ........................................................................................ 218 Appendix D: Map of Siena’s Center ............................................................................... 219 7 Appendix E: The Towers of Siena .................................................................................. 220 Appendix F: Ruling Councils, 1235-1355 ...................................................................... 223 Appendix G: Glossary of terms ...................................................................................... 224 8 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Biccherna, AS Siena n.1, luglio-dicembre 1258. (35.9 x 23. 5 cm.) .............. 177 Figure 2. Biccherna, Budapest, Szépmüvèzeti Mùzeum inv. n.1 (38), gennaio-giungo 1263. (36 x 23.5 cm.) ...................................................................................................... 178 Figure 3. St Matthew, from the Ebbo Gospels, c. 816-835. .......................................... 179 Figure 4. Diptych of Boethius (480-524), consul in 487 AD. (Ivory) ........................... 180 Figure 5. Biccherna, AS Siena n.2, luglio-dicembre 1264. (36 .4 x 24.2 cm.) .............. 181 Figure 6. Biccherna, Geneva, Private Collection, gennaio-giungo 1266. (36.5 x 24.5 cm.) ......................................................................................................................................... 182 Figure 7. Biccherna, AS Siena n.3, luglio-dicembre 1267. (36.4 x 24 cm.) .................. 183 Figure 8. Nobili Coats of Arms: Amidei, Renzi, Pagliaresi, and Lambertesco di Vigoroso. ......................................................................................................................... 184 Figure 9. Nobili Coats of Arms: Saracini and Bonsignori. ............................................ 185 Figure 10. Biccherna, AS Siena n.6, gennaio-giugno 1276. (36.4 x 23.4 cm.) ............. 186 Figure 11. Biccherna, AS Siena n.5, gennaio-giugno 1273. (36.6 x 24.6 cm.) ............. 187 Figure 12. Gabella, AS Siena n.8, gennaio-giugno 1291. (40 x 28 cm.) ....................... 188 Figure 13. Biccherna, Berlin, Kunstgewerbemuseum inv. n. K 4817 b, gennaio-giugno 1294. (35 x 23 cm.) ......................................................................................................... 189 Figure 14. Coats of Arms. .............................................................................................. 190 Figure 15. Gabella, AS Siena n.9, gennaio-giugno 1307. (35.8 x 24.5 cm.) ................. 191 Figure 16: The Terzi of Siena ......................................................................................... 192 Figure 17. Gabella, AS Siena n.14, luglio-dicembre 1334. (41 x 26.3 cm.).................. 193 9 Figure 18. Gabella, AS Siena n.16, luglio-dicembre 1344. (41.8 x 24.7 cm.)................ 194 Figure 19. Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Allegory of Good Government (detail), fresco, c.1338- 40, Sala de Pace, Palazzo Pubblico, Siena. ..................................................................... 195 Figure 20. The Palazzo Pubblico of Siena, 1297-1350. ................................................. 196 Figure 21. The Torre del Mangia, Siena, 1325-1344. .................................................... 197 Figure 22. Castellare degli Ugurgieri, gateway entrance, twelfth century. .................... 198 Figure 23. Palazzo Lombardi (was Accarigi or Cittadini), Via di Città, Siena. Late- thirteenth century. ........................................................................................................... 199 Figure 24. The Palazzo Tolomei, Siena, 1270-2. ........................................................... 200 Figure 25. Sienese Arch, Palazzo Tolomei, Via Termini entrance. ............................... 201 Figure 26. Archetti, Palazzo Pubblico, Siena. ................................................................ 202 Figure 27. Drawing showing the Palazzo Tolomei in the background. Francesco di Giovanni Ventura, La Battaglia di Montaperti, 1442. Siena, Biblioteca degli Intronati. ......................................................................................................................................... 203 Figure 28. She-wolf sculptures on the facade and main entrance of the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena. ..............................................................................................................................
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