Resumen de Ambrogio Lorenzetti's "Buon governo" frescoes: two old questions, two new answers
The writer discusses iconographical questions raised by Ambroglio Lorenzetti's Buon Governo frescoes in Siena. He examines the regal figure who sits enthroned on the northern wall, the dancers at the heart of the cityscape, the question of why the space in which the dancers are depicted constitutes the painted light source of the city as a whole, and the significance of the number nine throughout the work. He contends that the work portrays the city of Siena as judge of the Sienese, while at the same time offering a representation of the power held by the nine ruling officials of Siena as elected representatives of the citizens as a whole. He also proposes that the joy expressed by the nine dancers at the civic peace and glory surrounding them is in turn a celebration of the achievements of the nine officials who have brought about all these beneficial effects.
