Museums exhibition
The most advanced technology will be used to celebrate art in conjunction with the grand exhibition "From Jacopo della Quercia to Donatello. The Arts in Siena in the Early Renaissance"
Through futuristic multimedia stations, the museum becomes an ideal point of departure for exploring the surrounding countryside
The most advanced technology is celebrating art in conjunction with the grand exhibition "From Jacopo della Quercia to Donatello. The Arts in Siena in the Early Renaissance." For the duration of the exhibition in Siena some seven museums in the province, operating under the aegis of the Fondazione Musei Senesi, will "put themselves on display," enabling visitors to explore certain themes more deeply.
The Fondazione Musei Senesi is offering this service to the public in cooperation with Microsoft Italia and Nemes, thanks also to the positive collaboration of Vernice Progetti Culturali, the City of Siena, the Tourism Promotion Agencies (APT) of Siena and Chianciano Terme Val di Chiana, the Superintendency for the Historic, Art, and Ethno-Anthropological Heritage of Siena and Grosseto, and the support of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation and the Province of Siena.
From San Gimignano to Buonconvento, Pienza to Montalcino, Asciano to Castiglione d'Orcia and on to Montepulciano, visitors will be able to view seven sections located directly in the area of origin of a number of the masterpieces presented in the show, helping them to comprehend the deep connection between the art works and the culture that produced them and to discover the remarkable legacy of the fifteenth century by traveling through the Sienese countryside. In each of the seven museums, large (46-inch) touchscreen multimedia stations will enable them to understand better the connections between the works on display in the show and their places of origin and give them an ideal point of departure for exploring the countryside. The multimedia stations make it possible not only to view a substantial selection of the works in the show in Siena, but also to associate these works with the contexts in which they were made, as well as make virtual comparisons with the objects on display in the museums. Using simple finger motions directly on the monitor screen, users can access specific information about the museums involved in the show, the artists, and their individual works in the various media (paintings, sculptures, precious metals, textiles, and miniatures). In this way, visitors can obtain information on various levels of depth and choose an itinerary on the basis of their own interests and needs. They will be able to browse through virtual ‘postcards' and then, by simply touching the screen, access further information in both English and Italian, view and enlarge images of the masterworks on display, and obtain practical information. The ‘postcard' will also be tagged with a QR Code (a two-dimensional bar code) which will enable visitors who have the proper reader on their cell phones to scan and memorize instantly the museum's contact information (address and telephone number) or open specific pages on the websites of the show, the Fondazione Musei Senesi or the Tourism Promotion Agencies.
The Museums
The itineraries prepared by the Fondazione Musei Senesi present themes of great interest and "for every taste," linked to the show in Siena by special signs.
Siena and Florence at the Beginning of the Fifteenth Century
In the period around the turn of the fifteenth century, as a result of the centuries-old strife between these two cities, San Gimignano, a famous border town, witnessed a sort of alternation between Sienese and Florentine artists (Taddeo di Bartolo and the "1419 Master"), which concluded with the definitive dominion of the Florentines (Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Sebastiano Mainardi), who were able to spur the innovation of local painting towards the Renaissance style.
Civic Museum, Town Hall, Picture Gallery, "Big Tower" - San Gimignano
The "Revival"
In connection with a section of the exhibition, the Asciano museum will highlight a significant artistic phenomenon in Sienese art of the fifteenth century, which saw a revival of fourteenth-century iconographical models such as the large polyptychs made for Siena Cathedral or the frescoes which were painted on the city gates, thus were linked to the civic identity. This theme is documented by works by Pietro di Giovanni Ambrosi and Giovanni di Paolo now housed in Palazzo Corboli.
Palazzo Corboli Civic Archeological and Sacred Art Museum - Asciano
Sienese Saints of the Fifteenth Century
An altarpiece by Sano di Pietro in this museum bears witness to the popularity of the new Sienese saints, Bernardine and Catherine, who right around the middle of the fifteenth century enjoyed significant popularity and devotion and thus were widely represented in art.
Museum of Sacred Art of the Arbia Valley - Buonconvento
Painted Sculpture
On display in the evocative atmosphere of the Montalcino museum are numerous examples of painted wooden sculpture made between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, especially by Francesco di Valdambrino, one of Jacopo della Quercia's favorite pupils.
Montalcino Museums. Archeological, Medieval, and Modern Collection - Montalcino
Pius II's Dream/ Domenico di Niccolò dei Cori
The prestigious collection in the Pienza museum provides the ideal cue for retracing the rich patronage of Pope Pius II Piccolomini, the promoter of the artistic and urban renewal of the town. Another noteworthy aspect of Pienza is the presence of an artist of the stature of Domenico di Niccolò, called "of the choirs" because of his particular aptitude for wooden inlay; a major group of his works will be on display.
Diocesan Museum, Pienza
A Tribute to Vecchietta
The small but precious museum in Castiglione d'Orcia holds two important examples of Renaissance painting: Giovanni di Paolo's Virgin of Humility and The Virgin and Child Enthroned with Angels by Lorenzo di Pietro, known as Vecchietta. This section can serve as a point of departure for reflection on the art of this master, long thought to be a native of Castiglione d'Orcia.
San Giovanni "Art Room" - Castiglione d'Orcia
Sienese Quattrocento Art in Florentine Montepulciano
In the Crociani Picture Gallery, the result of a gift in the nineteenth century from Francesco Crociani, canon of the cathedral, two small fifteenth-century devotional images are shown together: the "Umbratile" Virgin of the Pillar by Sano di Pietro and the Renaissance marble altarpiece by the "Pius II Master," both coming from Montepulciano Cathedral, where Taddeo di Bartolo's masterpiece still reigns over the altar.
Crociani Picture Gallery and Civic Museum - Montepulciano
