Siena

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Siena

These are shots taken during a four-hour whirlwind visit to Siena
while traveling between Florence and Rome. Four hours is definitely
not long enough to take in this beautiful city, but it was all the time available
so I did my very best to do justice to the magnificent scenes Siena presented.

I’m treating this page as a Portfolio, and since many of these images are highly detailed,
file sizes can get a bit large (I didn’t want to compromise image integrity by over-compressing).

click an image for a larger version
use your back button to return to this page
(Composites will open in a 2nd window)

Siena Street 5987

Siena Street Scene 6090

She-Wolf Romulus Remus 6069

One of the legendary founders of the city
was Senius, son of Remus. The city emblem
is the She-Wolf suckling the twins, Romulus and
Remus, and statues like this are all over the city.

Siena Grocer 6074

a little ‘local color’.

Bicycle Pizzicheria 6080

I couldn’t resist taking this...
the scene is a classic postcard.

Pizzicheria 6082

a Pizzicheria is a dry-grocer and deli...
note the boar’s head hanging in the doorway.

Medieval Rein Ring 6072

Lantern 6128

Palazzo Courtyard 5990

peeking in the gate of a
palazzo for a quick shot

Julius III 6086

Pope of Sistine Chapel fame, Julius III
was Siennese on his mother’s side.

Medieval Arch 6101

Medieval Arch Detail 6096

Medieval Courtyard 6091

Medieval Courtyard 6094

Palazzo Publico
Torre del Mangia 6136

Dominating the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo
(town square), the Palazzo Publico contains a
large number of frescoes and an art museum

Palazzo Publico
Torre del Mangia 6161

The tower is called Torre del Mangia because
the first guardian was said to have spent all
of his money on food (mangia means eat)

Capella di Piazza
di Tomme Sculptures 6149

marble chapel at the foot of the Torre del Mangia
erected in thanks for the end of the Black Plague

Capella di Piazza
di Tomme Sculptures 6151

The corner pilasters were erected in 1376

Siena Palazzo 6365

She-Wolf Romulus Remus 6207

Siena Duomo 6025

built between 1215 and 1263, the gothic facade
by Giovanni Pisano is complete with gargoyles,
acanthus scrolls, statues and biblical scenes.
Legend says Senius stole the statue of the
She-Wolf (bottom center) from the
Temple of Apollo in Rome.

Siena Duomo Detail 6036

several detail photos follow

Siena Duomo Detail 6044

Siena Duomo Detail 6033

Siena Duomo Detail 6051

Siena Duomo Detail 6052

She-Wolf Romulus Remus 6181

Detail Gargoyles Statues 6052-60c

Siena Duomo 6031

Bronze door Siena Duomo 6204

Enrico Manfrini (1958)

Bronze door Siena Duomo 6205

scenes represent the Glorification of the Virgin

Siena She-Wolf 6211

One of the spectacular floor mosaics...
most were covered when I was there

Wall Tomb Tommaso Piccolomini 6227

Beccafumi Fresco 6312

Domenico di Pace Beccafumi painted several
of the frescoes in the Cathedral, and directed
pavement of the mosaic floors for 27 years.

Transept with Fresco 6317

The organ on the left was created by Bernini.

Architectural Detail Cathedral Siena 6262 and 6266

Black and white are the colors of the coat of arms of Siena, thus the marble striped motif.
The horizontal molding contains 172 busts of popes. Spandrels of the arches below the molding
house the busts of 36 emperors. St. Catherine of Siena is at the top of the column in the left image.

Dome Siena Cathedral 6332

A hexagonal dome, topped by a lantern
created by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini

Pinturiccio Pius III 6228

Architectural Detail 6256 and 6295

The vaulted roof is covered with blue and decorated with golden stars.
Columns are everywhere, with extensively adorned ribbing.

Madonna del Voto 6272

At the rear of the Chigi Chapel (Bernini design). The Sienese made a vow before the Montaperti battle with Florence that they would devote Siena to the Madonna if they won the unlikely victory.

5 times since, in dire need, the Sienese placed the keys to the city in front of the Madonna and prayed for deliverance (e.g. in 1944 during the Nazi occupation). Two weeks later, the city was liberated from the Nazis.

Pisano Pulpit 6237

Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni created this masterpiece between 1265-68 from Carrara marble. It is the cathedral’s earliest remaining work, and is octagonal, with columns held by lions and statues of the Seven Liberal Arts and Philosophy.

Numerous statues and scenes adorn the pulpit, narrating the Life of Christ in great detail. The panels are packed in every available space with figures. The panels are crowded, but spectacular.

Pisano Pulpit 6237 (detail)

This large detail shot (1279 x 1180) shows the Northern Gothic statues representing the
Christian Virtues atop the columns (between the trefoil arches). In the spandrels (the triangular
spaces between the trefoil arches and the statues) you can see carved statuettes of the Prophets
and Evangelists announcing the salvation of Mankind. Three of the seven scenes on the upper
panels can be seen. Note that each small face shows individuality and emotion in realistic
expressions. Pisano’s masterpiece is one of the great pre-Renaissance works of art.

Altar under Oculus 6241 and 6297

Architectural composite of the Presbytery showing the High Altar, Oculus, and Ciborium.
The stained glass window over the altar was made in 1288 to a Duccio di Buoninsegna design.
It is the earliest surviving example of Italian stained glass. See the detail shots below.

Oculus Duccio Siena Duomo 6299
(processed to show interior detail)

Oculus Detail, Duccio Siena Duomo 6299a

same shot, reprocessed at a lower exposure
to allow more detail of the oculus (100% crop).

Oculus Last Supper Siena Duomo 6305

This is the oculus mounted in the facade of the Cathedral

High Altar, Presbytery 6301
with closeup of Bronze Ciborium and Angels

This is a tighter shot of the high altar, shown in the previous composite “Altar under Oculus”.
It shows the Bronze Ciborium made by Lorenzo di Pietro (Vecchietta) in 1472
and the Bronze Angels made by Domenico di Pace Beccafumi.