The 's Major Communal Centers : The Cathedral Complex, The Palazzo Pubblico, And The Piazza

The citizens of Siena were not alone in their high regards of St. Mary. Duccio includes his signature of praise in the base of the Virgin’s throne: “Holy Mother of God, be the cause of peace to Siena, and of life to Duccio because he has painted you thus.” Duccio used his talent as a type of praise, painting as a form of worship. He hoped for the favor of his patron saint in return for the labor expended in creation of the Maestà.

Through the study of the records of courts, both secular and ecclesiastical, which exists in thousands of European and American archives and libraries, a patient and careful researcher can reconstruct particular images of “the world we have lost” and of the people who inhabited that world. From this vast, largely untapped repository of judicial records, Gene Brucker uses the notarial protocols of Ser Filippo Mazzei, which contains the transcripts of the litigation in the archiepiscopal court and the catasto records, which provides information about Florentine households, to piece together the dossier of Giovanni and Lusanna. The story of Giovanni and Lusanna explores the love and marriage in renaissance Florence and uncovers the gradation of the city’s social hierarchy and the role of women in society.

Gorgeously. Striking. Grace. The golden painting is taking up by the two most iconic symbols of Christianity: Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary. Christ gently placing a golden grown on the inclined head of the Virgin Mary, who is sitting on the right side of Jesus; her hands crossed over her chest symbolist of humble, reverent and loyalty. This position was purposely set by Fabriano. In Christianity art, position is significant in dividing between good manners and malefactors. For instance, in The Last Judgment by Giotto di Bondone in 1305, heaven was placed on right of Christ, and hell was on the left. This ideology was clearly stated in the bible “...before him shall be gathered all nations:

walls, there are paintings of the Life of the Virgin. On the bottom of the walls there are images of the seven ecumenical councils. The song “The Last Judgement” is painted on the west wall. Numerous figures of martyrs are painted on the pillars, and there are also many icons. There used to be an icon of “Our Lady of Vladimir,” but later on the icon was moved to St. Basil’s Cathedral so it wouldn’t be stolen because it was so expensive. There are icons of the Virgin Hodegetria, Saint George, Trinity. There is a large iconostasis, which is a screen bearing icon that separates the sanctuary from the nave, that occupies the whole wide wall of the cathedral.

The first thing that one’s eyes lay on is the amazing trade mark of marble stone from the architect Rafael Guastavino. The façade out of this building shows Spanish Renaissance architecture at its very best. The brick work could not be copied and is no longer done in this day and age. This herringbone pattern is also the trademark that Guastavino uses in all the buildings that he created (Carrasco, Mercè Piqueras). On the top of the church stands the churches Saint; Saint Lawrence. He holds a gridiron; which is the method by which he was martyred (saintlawrencebasilica.org). Saint Lawrence is flanked by Saint Steven, the very first martyr, who holds a stone; which was the method of his martyrdom. On the opposite side, Guastavino’s favorite saint, stands Aloysius Gonzaga. He was a young seminarian at the time of the plague that died assisting other people (Swain, Elisabeth). The inside of this building contains no structure, but yet in the last one hundred years there was never one tile that was lost. Inside the church one can’t help but notice the many banners hanging around the perimeter. The banners on the eastside of the building are the coated coats of arms of all the popes who have reined since

At first glance, Giovanni Paolo Pannini’s Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome (1757) reveals very little past the outsider-looking-in perspective we are given from Pannini’s perspective. In the center is the Duc de Choiseul surrounded by detailed views of Roman architecture including buildings, fountains, and monuments and several infamous sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries. While looking at the painting, it is hard to pinpoint one focal point within the composition when the walls of the gallery are filled with paintings from the floor to the ceiling. The focus becomes about the space Pannini has created and it does not focus on one specific object or figure. Each view of Rome seen in the imagined gallery adds to the illusion of Rome as an ideal city and to the idea of its beauty. By showing a space that reflects this beauty through the numerous paintings, sculptures, and architecture Pannini’s painting transforms into an allegory. Even though this painting was commissioned to commemorate Rome, he is able to portray the city and its architecture through a well respected and scholarly environment uncharacteristic of any known space or time. These characteristics cause the which allows it by creating a fictitious These allegorical characteristics do not become known unless you take a closer look at Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome (1757).

I’ve focused on three art pieces which are so beautiful to me. The statue of The Maltese Virgin and Child at the Chancery House with the virgin holding baby in her arms with both looking into the sky, a Byzantine painting from the Byzantinscher Maler Jahrhunderts with the virgin holding child in her lap with baby looking at her and virgin looking at us and lastly, a marble statue located at The Metropolitan Museum of Art of the virgin sitting down holding child in her lap looking into baby’s eyes and baby looking into hers.

The second part, ‘Context, Court, Documentation’ focuses on criminal trials in Bologna, based off the records from each year of the 1340’s, additionally, touching upon information regarding to how their courts worked and the possible outcomes for someone to be accused of a crime. The third part of the article ‘Criminal trials in Bologna in 1348’ the author analyzes the number of the criminal trials from this year which show extraordinary consistency to that found in normal times, as well as discussing the nature of the trials and a breakdown of charges for the year. The fourth part of the article, ‘Criminal Trials in the Medium Term, 1340 - 1351’ provides us with three points of comparison providing compelling evidence that during the Black Death, Bologna was not in a state of social breakdown, but maintained law and order consistent to that found before the plague arrived. The fifth part of the article ‘Regime Change: Effects on the Podesta’s Court’ discusses the implications that the regime change had on the Bolognese people in the 1350’s when the Visconti lords of Milan bought the city from the Pepoli

But what really attract my attention was two art works. The first is from baroque period and it is a cross representing a figure of the Catholic Church where believers adore when they

The Virgin of Immaculate Conception was created in the late 18th century in most likely “South America, probably Cuzco, Peru” (Dallas Museum of Art). The illustration was formed with oil on a canvas and the artist is unknown. The artwork is currently being displayed at the Dallas Museum of Art within the Latin American Art section. The Virgin of Immaculate Conception belongs to the The Cleofas and Celia de la Garza Collection and was a gift from Mary de la Garza-Hanna and Virginia de la Garza. Other featured works in this collection are The Ascension of Christ and Flight into Egypt, both by an unknown artist. This artwork is a religiously stylized piece composed to represent the values of the Virgin Mary’s life, heritage, and future.

Megan Holmes’s “Miraculous Images in Renaissance Florence” examines many of the ramifications of materiality. The materiality, an image’s physical properties, has direct impacts on the expression and popularity of immagini miracolose. These sacred images are subjects of miracles throughout the late 13th to 16th centuries. Two of the most important ramifications of materiality include the accessibility of the religious images and manifestation of the miracles. In this essay, I will explain how the physical properties of immagini miracolose create an approachable atmosphere to religious figures for the common people and how the physical properties directly influence the ways in which miracles manifest. By framing

The town of Siena later commissioned Duccio to create a large painting dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Inscribed to the bottom of Duccio’s depiction of Mary reads “Holy Mother of God, be the cause of peace to Siena and the life of Duccio, because he has painted

Both Walking in Sixteenth Century Venice by De Vivo and Coffeehouses by Ozkocak are both very interesting in a sense that they focused on ordinary people’s ordinary lives instead of authority and illustrated history in the view of ordinary people. By focusing on the streets, De Vivo was able to specifically explain all different status of people on the street and Ozkocak was also able to describe the change in public space and its users by exploring the coffeehouses. In Walking in Sixteenth Century Venice, the author is suggesting that by following people’s walking path, the society’s societal, cultural, and political style and values could be clearly shown. De vivo gave several examples but one thing which caught my eyes was the War of the Fist—young boys gathered together on the bridge and fought in order to show their power.

The piece of art is a statue that portrays Jesus’ body laying on his mother Mary’s laps at the time after the crucifixion having been removed from the cross (Lewis & Lewis, 2008) which is evidenced by the marks of small nails and the indication of the wound located in Jesus’ side. It revolves around the major theme of Northern origin which during that time was present in France but not in Italy. According to (St. Peters Basilica, 2009) Michelangelo offered a unique interpretation of the pieta to the models since it is a significant piece of work that balances the ideals of a new beginning incorporated in typical beauty and a touch of naturalism which is illustrated by the relationship exhibited by the figures. This is made possible by his skill to prove to both the viewers and himself of the supernatural beauty.

In this relief, we see it as Christ the child shares the viewer his joy of starting his new adventure as well as praising the purity of Virgin Mary. There are also three angels emerging from the cloud. In the Old Testament, angel’s functions refer to convey God’s will to mankind, which in this relief the angels reminds us of their role as “annunciators (ABRAHAM, 2: The three angels). They were the ones who carried messages from god and annunciated the birth of Christ. They are the witnesses of Christ the child coming to the human world as well as proof of Virgin Mary’s virtue of immaculate. In this relief, they are the guardian of the Virgin and child as well as admirers of Mary’s pure and virgin status. With their hands holding together in prayer, they show their blessings and caring to the mother and son as well as to the human world. In addition, unlike other Virgin Mary we see in churches’ altarpieces that are usually seated on throne, we also have Mary sitting humbly on the ground in this relief. According to Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art, there is a popular theme of “Madonna of Humility” which its essential figure is that the Virgin is seated on the ground. The dictionary also states that artists set Virgin Mary on the ground to convey a medieval theology,