Borgia Palace Diocesan Museum was inaugurated in 1998 in the new restored location of Palazzo Vescovile and replaced the venerable Museo della Cattedrale, hosted from 1901 in the Canonical Palace “Palazzo dei Canonici”.
The massive building overlooking Piazza Pio II, in front of Palazzo Piccolomini, and Corso Rossellino, incorporates the structures of two different renaissance palaces: the residence of the famous cardinal Borgia, the future Pope Alexander VI, and the residence of the cardinal Jean Jouffroy of Arras.
The Museum now holds a valuable collection of works medieval and modern art that come from the Cathedral and the ancient Diocese of Pienza: organized in 11 halls according to an order and a criterion almost always chronological, you can admire not only paintings, triptychs and altarpieces but also goldsmith’s art, religious ornaments, tapestries and wooden sculptures.
Pietro Lorenzetti, Madonna with Child, 1310-1320 AuthorPietro Lorenzetti (documented from 1306 to 1345)
ProvenanceMonticchiello, Church of Santi Leonardo e Cristoforo
DescriptionThe extraordinary work of art, centre of a polyptych, represents with extreme elegance the “Madonna col bambino”. The Child tenderly rests on the mother’s arm and bows one’s head in profile backward, seems to look for her eyes in a sweet and delicate gesture of affection. In this masterpiece of sienese painting Pietro Lorenzetti has assimilated the news introduced by Duccio di Buoninsegna’s painting and acquired with great enthusiasm the teachings of Giotto
Sano di Pietro, Tabernacle with the Virgin of Humility (around 1440)
Author Sano di Pietro (Siena 1405 – 1481)
DescriptionThe small triptych, from the Chapter of Pienza Cathedral, represents in its central panel the Virgin of humility, in the wings San Giovanni Battista and Santa Caterina d’Alessandria and in the cusps Christ Blessing between angels and Prophets, the Announcer Angel and the Virgin of the Annunciation. The painting is characterized by the elegance and the preciousness visible in the slender bodies, from the soft and pale skin, and skillful linear rhythms, that this approach to the stylistic elements of the Late Gothic culture .
Lorenzo di Pietro known as Vecchietta, Madonna with Child and the Saints Biagio, Giovanni Battista, Nicola and Floriano, (1460 -62)
Author Lorenzo di Pietro known as Vecchietta (Siena 1410 – 1480)
DescriptionThe majestic altarpiece is crowned on the top with the lunette of the Annunciation, and at the bottom with a tripartite predella of the martyrdom of S. Biagio, the Crucifixion, the San Nicola doing the charity. It is a masterpiece of Lorenzo di Pietro know as “Il Vecchietta” and made around 1460 for the near San Niccolò’s church in Spedaletto, an ancient granary belonging to Santa Maria della Scala Hospital. The large altarpiece, typical Renaissance, shows the figures placed in a well-studied dimension perspective and praised by a delicate color scheme and a shining light.
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Pastoral of Pio II
AuthorFlorentine workshop, around 1462
Techniquemolten, embossed, chiseled, engraved and gilded silver, enamels, niello on silver.
DescriptionOn the 29th of August 1462, during the consecration and election of the first Bishop of diocese, Giovanni Cinughi, the Pastoral, the main symbol of the Episcopal authority, was probably offered by Pio II to Pienza Cathedral. The artwork shows typical stylistic characters of the Florentine goldsmith‘s crafts of this period. The hexagonal tempietto of the knot remembers the Brunelleschi architecture, while instead the angels carrying the Piccolomini family coat of arms remembers the Donatello sculptures. Two elegant minute sculptures decorate the scroll of the pastoral, representing the Annunciation.
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Luca Signorelli, Madonna of Mercy between the Saints Sebastiano and Bernardino (around 1490)
Author:Luca Signorelli (Cortona 1445/50 – 1523) and his workshop.
Descriptionthe great alterpiece harmoniously contains the different influences that characterize the style of the painter from Cortona, between plasticism and statutory elegance of the figures and the force of drawing and line. A recent restoration (2008) has shown the original brightness of colors, .
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Fra Bartolomeo della Porta, Riposo durante la fuga in Egitto, ( 1497 – 1504)
AutoreFra Bartolomeo della Porta (Savignano di Prato 1472 – Firenze 1517)
Descrizioneancora poco chiare e misteriose risultano essere le vicende che portarono questa importante tela a Pienza, recentemente riscoperta, rivalutata e attribuita a Fra Bartolomeo. Dal punto di vista stilistico l’opera risulta assai vicina alle esperienze pittoriche del tardo Rinascimento fiorentino e la purezza della linea, la luminosità straordinaria ed il nitore formale ne fanno uno dei capolavori giovanili del pittore domenicano.
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Piviale di Pio II, Piviale con Storie di Maria Vergine, Santa Caterina d’Alessandria e Santa Margherita d’Antiochia
Autoremanifattura inglese, prima metà del Trecento (1310-30)
Tecnicaopus anglicanum, lino ricamato con filo d’argento dorato e sete policrome.
Descrizioneforse l’opera più importante e particolare del Museo è il grandioso Piviale di Pio II in opus anglicanum, probabilmente donato a Pio II dal Principe della Morea, Tommaso Paleologo. In un’incredibile succedersi di scene (ben 27 formelle disposte su tre aree concentriche) sono narrate, con vivace spirito gotico, le Storie della Vergine, Santa Caterina d’Alessandria e Santa Margherita d’Antiochia. Il tutto è poi arricchito da indefinibili varietà di animali ed uccelli, sinuose volute vegetali e motivi geometrici variegati. Preziosissimi i materiali utilizzati: sete policrome, filo d’argento dorato e piccole perle purtroppo andate perdute.
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