Gordon Moran and the Siege of Siena.

The article we offer in our Ilaria ’s translation came out in the Summer 2013 issue (p. 13) of Vista, a four-monthly English-language magazine on Florence and its surroundings. Written by Lila Baghzouz, it offers a summary of the events surrounding the Guidoriccio da Fogliano and Gordon Moran’s research, which we have also covered here at Finestre Sull’Arte. Happy reading!

Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico, the city’s town hall, houses the Guidoriccio at the Siege of Montemassi. The fresco depicts Guidoriccio, leader of the Sienese army from 1327 to 1333, on horseback after the capture of Montemassi in 1330. The work has been attributed to Simone Martini, an artist to whom it was allegedly commissioned in 1330, immediately after the victory over the town.

For the Sienese, the fresco represents pride in the history of their homeland. However, American art historian Gordon Moran has some misgivings about the work: in fact, he and his colleagues believe that neither the artist nor the date are correct. Past studies, research, and knowledge of Sienese art fuel the doubts. Nowadays, Moran is the scholar who has been most concerned with the discoveries and developments on the issue.

Historical context of the fresco
In the early fourteenth century, Siena conquered or acquired as many as twenty territories, at least seven of which are depicted in the Sala del Mappamondo inside the Palazzo Pubblico. Guidoriccio da Fogliano, leader of the Sienese army from 1327 to 1333, conquered Montemassi (1328) and Arcidosso (1331). Simone Martini was the artist chosen to depict these victories in the Sala del Mappamondo. The archives show that he was commissioned to depict Montemassi and Sassoforte in 1330, and Arcidosso and Casteldelpiano in the following year.

Moreover, in 1333 Guidoriccio disgraced Siena when he went over to the enemy’s side: being a soldier of fortune, he rendered his services to the highest bidder and was therefore not exactly considered a loyal patriot.

Birth of controversy
To an art historian, the fresco has many inconsistencies, starting with the character on horseback. After leaving the Sienese army in 1333, Guidoriccio was considered a traitor, so, as usual, he should have been erased from the fresco. Moreover, in 1330 it was considered against the law to depict coats of arms in the Palazzo Pubblico. The black diamonds and green leaves of a creeper on Guidoriccio’s cloak and on his horse should not have been allowed. These initial contradictions gave Moran reason to believe that there were hidden frescoes beneath the upper fresco and that Simone Martini could not have been the author of what is now known as Guidoriccio inside the Palazzo Pubblico.

From the beginning, the city refused his request to discover possible hidden frescoes. Nevertheless, a sponsorship came in 1980. Moran’s theory reached a German publishing house, which, being a generous supporter of art, made the administration of Siena a blank check to finance the venture. Moran, along with four other scholars, had the privilege of being present as restorers discovered the fresco hidden beneath the Guidoriccio.

The hidden fresco
What the restoration uncovered would astound art historians everywhere. The hidden scene depicted another fortified city, this time with two subjects in the foreground. One appeared to be another version of the Guidoriccio, and the other was probably a member of the Aldobrandeschi (a powerful feudal family that owned Arcidosso and Casteldelpiano), depicted in the act of removing his gloves as a sign of submission. According to the analysis, Guidoriccio had been covered with blue paint only a few years after being completed, around the time the condottiero betrayed Siena. Holes were also found around the figure’s head, probably caused by stones thrown by outraged citizens. Initially, after the discovery, Moran and Sienese scholars largely agreed that the hidden fresco was a representation of Arcidosso, a fact that reinforced Moran’s position that the upper fresco was not Martini’s work. Chronologically speaking, since the taking of Montemassi would have occurred three years earlier, it would not have made sense to represent an earlier event after a later one. The date of the commission of the two scenes to Martini also appears contradictory. Soon, however, Sienese scholars returned to their initial belief that the upper fresco was the work of their Simone Martini. Despite the similarities between the depicted fortification and the actual fortified town of Arcidosso ( topography included), the Sienese found other conclusions to protect the authenticity of the actual fresco; they went so far as to claim that Moran and his colleagues distorted the truth. In fact, they believe that the fresco below is a version of the peaceful subjugation of the town of Giuncarico depicted in 1314 by Duccio.

Publications
Like the infamous Guidoriccio, Moran has not been well received by the Sienese. Many local scholars are on the defensive in the face of claims made against the present fresco.

Moran and his colleague Michael Mallory began to run into trouble when they tried to publish their book, Guidoriccio: a guide to the controversy. Local government authorities denied them the publication of photographs of the fresco within the book and the sale of the book in the bookshop of the Palazzo Pubblico museum. Thanks to the controversy, the book had an increase in worldwide distribution.

The unresolved controversy
More than thirty years after research on the Guidoriccio fresco began, Moran is still interested in the subject. With his colleagues he made a list of reasons to doubt that Simone Martini is the author of the Guidoriccio on horseback. The list has been updated several times (even today Moran is making many discoveries). By including every aspect of the work and providing a solid explanation to the many doubts, the list is a very useful resource for those who wish to see the fresco from another point of view. Is it an authentic fresco worth defending or, as Gordon Moran’s line goes, just a martini on the rocks?

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