Palazzo Comunale (San Gimignano)
Encyclopedia
The Palazzo Comunale of San Gimignano
is in the Piazza del Duomo close to the Collegiata church
. Also known as the Palazzo del Popolo , the palazzo has been the seat of civic power in the comune
since the 13th century. The building contains a museum and gallery with works of the Florentine
and Sienese schools
of art - including works by Coppo di Marcovaldo
, Lippo Memmi
, Benozzo Gozzoli
, Filippino Lippi
, Il Sodoma
and Pinturicchio
.
On the ground floor is a courtyard, which was built in 1323 and is decorated with the coats of arms of those who have held public office in the municipality. The main civic offices of the town council are now located on this ground floor.
On the first floor is a stepped gallery from which dignitaries would address the gathered crowd in the square. The battlements date from a restoration of the nineteenth century, and the structure is capped by the "Torre Grossa” (great tower). This tower was completed in 1300 and (at 54 meters) is the highest tower in the walled town.
who visited San Gimignano in 1300 as an ambassador of the Florentine Republic.
The room is decorated with a Maestà
by Lippo Memmi. Commissioned in 1317 by Nello de Mino Tolomei (then podestà
of San Gimignano), the fresco is believed to have been inspired by Simone Martini's Maestà from the Palazzo Pubblico
in Siena
. The fresco shows Mary
seated on a throne surrounded by adoring saints and angels (including patron Nello de Mino Tolomei).
Just off the great hall is a meeting room which was originally used for private meetings.
, Lippo Memmi
, Benozzo Gozzoli
, Filippino Lippi
, Il Sodoma
and Pinturicchio
The first room is called "The Trinity", from the work it contains by Pier Francesco Fiorentino
dated to 1497. It also houses a "Madonna and Child with Saints" by Leonardo da Pistoia
and a "Pietà
" by Bastiano Mainardi
.
Other rooms contain a Maestà
from the late thirteenth century, altar decorations by Memmo di Filippuccio, a "Madonna and Child" by Vincenzo Tamagni
(1528), several Gothic altarpieces (including one showing scenes from the life of Saint Gimignano), a "Madonna with Saints Gregory and Benedict" by Pinturicchio
, and two medieval crucifix
es of the Florentine school
.
The Podestà apartments (Camera del Podestà) are frescoed with matrimonial scenes of a couple taking a bath and going to bed. (An unusual work by Memmo di Filippuccio dated to the early fourteenth century.)
San Gimignano
San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. It is mainly famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several kilometres outside the town....
is in the Piazza del Duomo close to the Collegiata church
Collegiata di San Gimignano
thumb|300px|View of the Collegiata.The Collegiata is the main church of San Gimignano, Tuscany, central Italy, situated in the Piazza del Duomo at the town's heart. It was once the Duomo , but since San Gimignano no longer has a bishop it has reverted to the status of a collegiate church.The first...
. Also known as the Palazzo del Popolo , the palazzo has been the seat of civic power in the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
since the 13th century. The building contains a museum and gallery with works of the Florentine
Florentine School
The Florentine School refers to artists in, from or influenced by the naturalistic style developed in the 14th century, largely through the efforts of Giotto di Bondone, and in the 15th century the leading school of the world...
and Sienese schools
Sienese School
The Sienese School of painting flourished in Siena, Italy between the 13th and 15th centuries and for a time rivaled Florence, though it was more conservative, being inclined towards the decorative beauty and elegant grace of late Gothic art...
of art - including works by Coppo di Marcovaldo
Coppo di Marcovaldo
Coppo di Marcovaldo was an Italian painter active in Tuscany.-Biography:He was born in Florence, and is mentioned as active in Pistoia in 1265, where he frescoed the St...
, Lippo Memmi
Lippo Memmi
Lippo Memmi was an Italian painter from Siena. He was the foremost follower of Simone Martini, who was his brother-in-law....
, Benozzo Gozzoli
Benozzo Gozzoli
Benozzo Gozzoli was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. He is best known for a series of murals in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi depicting festive, vibrant processions with wonderful attention to detail and a pronounced International Gothic influence.-Apprenticeship:He was born Benozzo di...
, Filippino Lippi
Filippino Lippi
Filippino Lippi was an Italian painter working during the High Renaissance in Florence, Italy.-Biography:...
, Il Sodoma
Il Sodoma
Il Sodoma was the name given to the Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. Il Sodoma painted in a manner that superimposed the High Renaissance style of early 16th-century Rome onto the traditions of the provincial Sienese school; he spent the bulk of his professional life in Siena,...
and Pinturicchio
Pinturicchio
Bernardino di Betto, called Pintoricchio or Pinturicchio was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname, Pintoricchio , because of his small stature, and he used it to sign some of his works....
.
History and architecture
The palazzo dates from the late 13th century, and was built on the ruins of an existing building between 1289 and 1298. Further expanded in the 14th century, the facade is characterised by arched windows, with the lower half of the frontage built with stone, and the upper part in brick.On the ground floor is a courtyard, which was built in 1323 and is decorated with the coats of arms of those who have held public office in the municipality. The main civic offices of the town council are now located on this ground floor.
On the first floor is a stepped gallery from which dignitaries would address the gathered crowd in the square. The battlements date from a restoration of the nineteenth century, and the structure is capped by the "Torre Grossa” (great tower). This tower was completed in 1300 and (at 54 meters) is the highest tower in the walled town.
Museum
The upper stories of the palazzo house the Sala del Consiglio, and (since 1852) the civic museum and gallery.Hall
The "Sala del Consiglio" is a large reception hall which was used as the council chamber. It is commonly known as the "Sala di Dante" and is named for the noted poet Dante AlighieriDante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
who visited San Gimignano in 1300 as an ambassador of the Florentine Republic.
The room is decorated with a Maestà
Maestà
Maestà, the Italian word for "majesty", designates an iconic formula of the enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus, whether or not accompanied with angels and saints...
by Lippo Memmi. Commissioned in 1317 by Nello de Mino Tolomei (then podestà
Podestà
Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
of San Gimignano), the fresco is believed to have been inspired by Simone Martini's Maestà from the Palazzo Pubblico
Palazzo Pubblico
The Palazzo Pubblico is a palace in Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. Construction began in 1297 and its original purpose was to house the republican government, consisting of the Podestà and Council of Nine....
in Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
. The fresco shows Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
seated on a throne surrounded by adoring saints and angels (including patron Nello de Mino Tolomei).
Just off the great hall is a meeting room which was originally used for private meetings.
Gallery
The gallery itself is on the second floor and contains works by Coppo di MarcovaldoCoppo di Marcovaldo
Coppo di Marcovaldo was an Italian painter active in Tuscany.-Biography:He was born in Florence, and is mentioned as active in Pistoia in 1265, where he frescoed the St...
, Lippo Memmi
Lippo Memmi
Lippo Memmi was an Italian painter from Siena. He was the foremost follower of Simone Martini, who was his brother-in-law....
, Benozzo Gozzoli
Benozzo Gozzoli
Benozzo Gozzoli was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. He is best known for a series of murals in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi depicting festive, vibrant processions with wonderful attention to detail and a pronounced International Gothic influence.-Apprenticeship:He was born Benozzo di...
, Filippino Lippi
Filippino Lippi
Filippino Lippi was an Italian painter working during the High Renaissance in Florence, Italy.-Biography:...
, Il Sodoma
Il Sodoma
Il Sodoma was the name given to the Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. Il Sodoma painted in a manner that superimposed the High Renaissance style of early 16th-century Rome onto the traditions of the provincial Sienese school; he spent the bulk of his professional life in Siena,...
and Pinturicchio
Pinturicchio
Bernardino di Betto, called Pintoricchio or Pinturicchio was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname, Pintoricchio , because of his small stature, and he used it to sign some of his works....
The first room is called "The Trinity", from the work it contains by Pier Francesco Fiorentino
Pier Francesco Fiorentino
Pier Francesco Fiorentino , was a 15th century Florentine painter.-See also:*Anonymous masters...
dated to 1497. It also houses a "Madonna and Child with Saints" by Leonardo da Pistoia
Leonardo da Pistoia
Leonardo Grazia or Leonardo da Pistoia was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period. Born in Pistoia in Tuscany, he died in Naples. Pistoia worked early on in Rome, and moved to Naples to work under Gianfrancesco Penni, also known as il Fattore...
and a "Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
" by Bastiano Mainardi
Bastiano Mainardi
Bastiano Mainardi was an Italian painter born in San Gimignano.Much of his biography is known from the writings of Giorgio Vasari...
.
Other rooms contain a Maestà
Maestà
Maestà, the Italian word for "majesty", designates an iconic formula of the enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus, whether or not accompanied with angels and saints...
from the late thirteenth century, altar decorations by Memmo di Filippuccio, a "Madonna and Child" by Vincenzo Tamagni
Vincenzo Tamagni
Vincenzo Tamagni was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. Born in San Gimignano, he became an apprentice first with il Sodoma at Monte Oliveto Maggiore, and then worked in the Vatican Loggie under Raphael in Rome . Drawings of the Raphael frescoes in Tamagni’s hand exist. He mainly painted in...
(1528), several Gothic altarpieces (including one showing scenes from the life of Saint Gimignano), a "Madonna with Saints Gregory and Benedict" by Pinturicchio
Pinturicchio
Bernardino di Betto, called Pintoricchio or Pinturicchio was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname, Pintoricchio , because of his small stature, and he used it to sign some of his works....
, and two medieval crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
es of the Florentine school
Florentine School
The Florentine School refers to artists in, from or influenced by the naturalistic style developed in the 14th century, largely through the efforts of Giotto di Bondone, and in the 15th century the leading school of the world...
.
The Podestà apartments (Camera del Podestà) are frescoed with matrimonial scenes of a couple taking a bath and going to bed. (An unusual work by Memmo di Filippuccio dated to the early fourteenth century.)