The Allegory of Good and Bad Government, known in Italian as Allegoria ed effetti del Buono e del cattivo governo, is a series of three fresco panels painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti between February 1338 and May 1339. The work is located in the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena, specifically in the Sala dei Nove, which translates to the 'salon of the nine'. This room served as the council hall for the nine executive magistrates of the Republic of Siena.
An interpretation of the paintings suggests they were "designed to remind the Nine [magistrates] of just how much was at stake as they made their decisions". Considered Lorenzetti's "undisputed masterpiece", the series consists of six different scenes. It is noted that the titles assigned to these scenes are all modern conveniences. These scenes are known as the Allegory of Good Government, the Allegory of Bad Government, the Effects of Bad Government in the City, the Effects of Bad Government in the Country, the Effects of Good Government in the City, and the Effects of Good Government in the Country.
Historical context
The Allegory and Effects of Good and Bad Government series was commissioned by the "Council of Nine", a civic group that constituted the city council."Prelude to the Renaissance: Florence and Siena in the 14th century" , radford.edu. Unlike most art of the period, the subject matter is civic rather than religious.https://smarthistory.org/ambrogio-lorenzetti-palazzo-pubblico-frescos-allegory-and-effects-of-good-and-bad-government/ The Republic of Siena was one of the most powerful of the fourteenth-century Italian city-states. This century was a turbulent time for politics in Italian cities due to violent party struggles, the overthrow of governments, and the Black Death epidemic.https://www.montana.edu/historybug/yersiniaessays/davis.html
Layout
The murals occupy a substantial area, covering three of the four walls within the Council Room. The southern wall remains without a mural. It contains the sole window for the room. The door used by the council for entry is located on the opposite northern wall. On the eastern wall, Lorenzetti depicted scenes of the "Effects of Good Government", while on the opposing western wall he rendered "The Allegory and Effects of Bad Government". Overlooking both of these murals on the northern wall are the personifications of the allegorical depictions of the virtues of good government.https://smarthistory.org/ambrogio-lorenzetti-palazzo-pubblico-frescos-allegory-and-effects-of-good-and-bad-government/
Allegory of Good Government
In the Allegory of Good Government, the composition is built up from three horizontal bands. In the foreground, the figures of contemporary Siena are represented. The citizens act as symbolic representations of the various civic officers and magistrates. They are linked by two woven cords, or concords. The concords gather from under the scales of Lady Justice. Behind them, on a stage, there are allegorical figures in two groups, representing the Good Government. The two groups are connected by the procession of the councilors. The upper band indicates the heavenly sphere with the floating bodiless ghosts of the virtues. Wisdom sits above the head of the personification of the Commune of Siena. He sits upon a throne and holds an orb and scepter, symbolizing temporal power. He is dressed in the colors of the Balzana, the black-and-white Sienese coat of arms. Around his head are the letters "C S C V", which stand for "Commune Saenorum Civitatis Virginis", which explains his identity as the embodiment of the Siena Council. That character is guided by the women representing the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. He confers with the proper Virtues necessary for a proper and just ruler.
The virtues of Good Government are represented by six crowned, stately female figures: Peace, Fortitude, and Prudence on the left, and Magnanimity, Temperance, and Justice on the right. On the far left of the fresco, the figure of Justice is repeated, as she is balancing the scales held by Wisdom. The figures are naturalistic, and the figures of the women represented the ideal of female beauty in Siena.
At the feet of the ruler, two children are depicted playing. They could be the sons of Remus, Ascius and Senius, who, according to Roman legend, are the founders of Siena. It alternately is believed that the two children are the older brothers, Romulus and Remus, who founded Rome. The text within the lower border of the image reads: "This holy virtue [Justice], where she rules, induces to unity the many souls [of citizens], and they, gathered together for such a purpose, make the Common Good [ben comune] their Lord; and he, in order to govern his state, chooses never to turn his eyes from the resplendent faces of the Virtues who sit around him. Therefore to him in triumph are offered taxes, tributes, and lordship of towns; therefore, without war, every civic result duly follows—useful, necessary, and pleasurable". Below the fresco is Lorenzetti's signature: Ambrosius Laurentii De Senis Hic Pinxit Utrinque.Allegory of the Good Government
Peaceful City
On the longer wall of the room in the Sala is the fresco The Effects of Good Government in the City and in the Country. Part of that fresco is Peaceful City. This panoramic fresco represents several scenes indicating the life of Siena and its environment in the fourteenth century. This painting provides the first accurate panoramic view of the city and the first landscape of countryside since antiquity; viewers may identify some characteristics of the city of Siena, as opposed to ambiguous settings found in other works of the time. The city is filled with clustered palaces, markets, towers, churches, streets, and walls. All of these aspects are reminiscent of town scenes found on ancient Roman murals. There are many shops, indicating good commerce and economic conditions. The traffic moves peacefully, guild members work at their trades, a wedding procession takes place, and maidens may be seen dancing gracefully. Dancers were common for springtime rituals; they also act as a metaphor for a peaceful commonwealth in this painting. The young women might also represent the Nine Muses of the arts and sciences from Greek mythology. This fresco reflects the belief that if government is virtuous and rules justly, the city thrives. There is text along the lower edge of the wall that reads:
"Turn your eyes to behold her, you who are governing, who is portrayed here [Justice], crowned on account of her excellence, who always renders to everyone his due. Look how many goods derive from her and how sweet and peaceful is that life of the city where this virtue is preserved that outshines any other. She guards and defends those who honor her, and nourishes and feeds them. From her light come both requiting those who do good and giving due punishment to the wicked.""Sienese Followers of Duccio: Amrogio and Pietro Lorenzetti"
Peaceful Country The fresco then blends into Peaceful Country. The transition is made by an entourage passing through the city gate and out to the countryside beyond the city walls. The new scene shows a bird's-eye view of the Tuscan countryside, with villas, castles, plowed farmlands, and peasants and farmers leisurely going about their responsibilities. The landscape is particularized, with characteristics that indicate a specific place and environment. The winged allegorical figure of Security hovers above the landscape holding an unfurled scroll promising safety to all who live under the rule of law. Written on her scroll is the text:
"Without fear every man may travel freely and each may till and sow, so long as this commune shall maintain this lady [Justice] sovereign, for she has stripped the wicked of all power."
Cosmic allegories In the fresco cycle, Lorenzetti expresses the idea that the cause of peace lies not only in the effects of good government, but also from the citizens acting in accordance "with the temporal and astral force that governs" them.Burke, Suzanne Maureen, Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Sala della Pace: Its Historiography and "Sensus Astrologicus", Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1994 Lorenzetti expresses this idea in part with the border along the three frescos, which display medallions featuring the personifications of the planets, as well as the seasons. Above the mural depicting The Effects of Good Government, these medallions follow the natural order of the seasons and alignment of the planets. In The Effects of Good Government, Lorenzetti shows the citizens completing the different labors for each of the months. The labors belonging to spring and summer are very clear; "fishing and tending to the vines (March), cultivation of the soil and planting (April), riding (May), ploughing and stock raising (June), cereal harvesting (July), threshing (August), and hunting (September)".
The labors of winter and fall are also found, but they do not follow the normal conventions of the time for depicting these labors. With these depictions of the labors following with the seasons and planets, Lorenzetti creates the idea that peace is in part possible due to the citizens following in accordance to the planets and seasons. It is also hypothesized that, with the depictions of citizens in different labors, Lorenzetti shows the allegorical manifestations of the children of the different planets. Upon closer analysis, it is clear that Lorenzetti depicted the children who would help ensure peace versus those who would be disruptive of it. This can be seen with the emphasis of mercantile activities that were believed to be Mercury's children. For the children of Venus, Lorenzetti chose to show a bride, weavers, and dancers, instead of depicting her more carnal children. The children of Mars, who all depend on the use of weapons, are represented by knights and guards. Saturn's children are represented by ploughmen, diggers, and threshers, and excludes his other children, such as cripples. Jupiter's children are represented as hunters. With Lorenzetti emphasizing the children who would ensure peace, he drove home the importance of following activities to foster peace and not to disrupt it. With both the depiction of the monthly labors and the children of the various planets, Lorenzetti shows the importance of performing the appropriate tasks in accordance to nature to ensure peace. This point is made stronger by the fact that half the seasons and plants are shown depicted over the scene of war, reminding the viewer the faulty error of not acting in accordance.
Venus and the dancers
The ten dancers featured in the middle of The Effects of Good Government fresco are the subject of many discussions. It is believed they are the representation of Venus's children. It was believed in Lorenzetti's day that there were two manifestations of Venus. These two sides found their forms in either the legitimate planetary deity, or as the nude goddess born of the sea. When looking at the depictions of the personifications of the other planets along the fresco borders, they are seen placed in both their houses. Venus, on the other hand, is only placed in Taurus, her daytime house. With this careful choice, Lorenzetti legitimizes her side as a planetary goddess. This is further enforced with her modest dress, instead of being depicted nude. Her children, in turn, gain the representation of chastity, matrimonial love, friendship, and sociability, all aspects that flourish during daylight hours. Their dancing mimics the arm movements of Venus, and this, in combination with their larger scale, draws emphasis to the resounding message that peace in the city must be found in conjunction with the movements of the Heavens.