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32 MA XPL A N C KRE S E A R C H 3 / 2 0 0 5 3 / 2 0 0 5 MA XPL A N C KRE S E A R C H 33

ItalianART HISTOR

The project began with the

church of SantAgostino and

with a dramatic find. Sifting through

the source material back in 1977, re-

searchers came across a report dat-

ing from 1575 that described the

Bichi Chapel, a side chapel dedicated

to Saint Christopher, as painted

with pictures throughout (tota de-

picta). No trace of these pictures re-

mained: after a fire in 1747, the

church had been renovated from the

ground up. Following plans by lead-

ing Neapolitan architect Luigi Van-

vitelli, the vaulting of the chapel had

been lowered and the walls white-

washed.

Electrified by the prospect of re-

vealing the original design and the

paintings, tests were arranged that

yielded promising results. The Italian

authorities approved further investi-

gations, financed by the sponsors of

the MPI for the History of Art in Flo-

rence. And, to our great satisfaction,

there on the side walls were two ful-

ly intact, large-scale, mainly mono-

chrome frescoes by the Sienese

painter Francesco di Giorgio, depict-

ing the Virgin Mary and the birth of

Christ. As work progressed, more of

the Renaissance decoration came to

Religious buildings reflect centuries of spiritual and cultural history. True appreciation de-

mands more than simply listing the obvious which is why the CHURCHES OF SIENA project stands

as a model for others to follow. Since 1976, scientists from theMAXPLANCKINSTITUTE FOR

THEHISTORY OFART in Florence headed by former DirectorMAXSEIDEL have been looking

beyond art and architecture to discover what other historical aspects these buildings reveal.

OCUS

The intention was to make a mark,

and the finest painters of the age

were engaged to do so.

The art historian is at pains to em-

phasize how important it has been to

the success of the project as a whole

to work in a close and trusting rela-

tionship with Italian specialists,

some of whom have also agreed to

come on board as authors. Their ac-

tivities have complemented the work

light behind the baroque barrel

vaulting: lunettes, in the center of

which were large tondos with illus-

trations of the seated Eritrean and

Tiburtine Sibyls, the work of the

Tuscan artist Luca Signorelli.

A CHAPEL AS

A VICTORYMONUMENT

A find of this kind, which enriched

not only the city of Siena, but Italian

painting in general, added a power-

ful impetus to the Siena Project

headed by Peter Anselm Riedl and

Max Seidel, the latter also a Director

at the Institute from 1993 until his

retirement in 2005. The discovery of

the frescoes also served to confirm

the effectiveness of the methods the

project employed; however, it is im-

portant to resist the temptation to

aim future work solely at seeking

such spectacular finds.

Seidel, a bona fide scientist, is al-

most more excited about the conclu-

sions that could be drawn regarding

the political iconography of Siena

around 1490. The chapel commis-

sioned by Antonio Bichi was de-

signed as a monument to the victory

of a political faction that had been

ousted and then returned to power. PHOTOS:MPIFOR

THEHISTORYOFARTS,

FLORENCE

Churches Historical Archives in Stone

The second faade

of Sienas cathedral

on the eastern side

of the building. The

three portals open

onto the baptistry,while the clerestory

and oculus level be-

long to the choir of

the church above.

A pilaster and capital in the under-

church, which has retained its original,

brightly colored decoration.

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of the project. For example, on an

Italian initiative in 1993, a major ex-

hibition of the works of Francesco di

Giorgio was held in the very same

church of SantAgostino, enabling

the revealed frescoes to be seen in a

wider context. The altar figure de-

signed for the Bichi chapel was also

temporarily returned to its original

place a statue of Saint Christopher

sculpted by Francesco di Giorgio,

which is now at the Louvre in Paris.

And this, says Seidel, is where it be-

comes apparent that the work of the

Siena Project has an impact on every

other collection in the world that in-

cludes artifacts deriving from the

churches of Siena.

This relationship highlights what

Max Seidel describes as one of the

essential methodological goals of the

project: contextual research. As a re-

sult of the frescoes, the already fa-

miliar statue of St. Christopher now

appears in a new context. Especially

significant is the integration of the

churches in a wider historical and

intellectual framework. Seidel talks

in terms of a symphony in which

the individual churches play the part

of solo violins. However, even

within each church, there are a vari-

ety of contexts to consider: changes

in design and decoration such as

every building undergoes in the

course of its existence.

SantAgostino, for example, un-

derwent several phases of develop-

ment from its original state in the

13th and 14th centuries, which re-

mains to be reconstructed, to the im-

pact of the Renaissance, which must

include the design and decoration of

the Bichi chapel, and the post-1747

Baroque remodeling, which gave the

interior of the church its present

character.

A LOOK AT

THEBACKGROUND

The origins of the Siena Project,

which was launched in 1976, are

closely interlinked with the takeover

of the art historical Institute in Flo-

rence by the German Federal Min-

istry of Research in 1970. This

prompted an incentive to establish a

long-term research project in-house.

The Board of Trustees of the Institute

recommended to then Director Her-

bert Keutner that a study be made of

the churches of Siena. The proposal

was the brainchild of the Chairper-

son of the Board of Trustees, Peter

Anselm Riedl, who brought in the

young Max Seidel. To this day, the

two of them act as publishers. Now,

however, the project is mainly in the

hands of the two permanent staff

members Monika Butzek and Wolf-

gang Loseries. Butzek has been in-

volved since the project began, while

Loseries joined the project a decade

later. Not only do they perform a

large part of the research work

themselves, they also coordinate

contributions by external specialists

and take care of final editing of the

volumes containing the results of

their work.

There were other topics that were

also considered at the time, relates

Seidel. For example, instead of focus-

ing on one city such as Siena and allof its churches both existing and

long gone, of high esteem and low

the project might well have concen-

trated on the cathedrals of Tuscany.

But the Siena Project was not con-

jured out of thin air. It had a

renowned predecessor at the Institute

in Florence that had earned high re-

spect among experts: the Churches

of Florence project. The commission

to undertake this study was awarded

to Walter Paatz in 1929. Despite the

adversities of the war years, by 1953,

Paatz and his wife had compiled five

volumes in alphabetical order a

critical inventory of all of the church-

es of Florence. The main emphases

were on the history of each building,

a description of the structure and a

record of the furnishings and decora-

tion, both preserved and lost.

Useful as they are, however, these

volumes were unsuitable as a

methodological template for the

Siena Project. Mainly inventories,

they were merely a compilation of

existing knowledge based on litera-

ture already available in the special-

ist domain. The Siena Project also

fulfils this task, but it goes much

further in the pursuit of its goal of

comprehensively researching each

church.

Naturally enough, the primary fo-

cus is on the church itself, an his-

toric and aesthetic unit comprised in

equal measure by the historical data

pertaining to the building and the

individuality of its furnishings and

dcor, and the peculiarities of its

users and benefactors, as Max Sei-

del puts it. Our work does not stop

at the building itself. On the con-

trary, our research gives us deeper

insight into the politics and society

of Siena. Conversely, an understand-

ing of social and economic aspects is

often necessary to appreciate the

character of a church.

A PRIMEEXAMPLE

OF ACITYORGANISM

The medieval city of Siena provides

an ideal setting for such a broad-

based methodological approach.

There remains a dense and above allintact network of church buildings

embedded in a city organism that

has survived virtually untouched

since the Middle Ages. The legacy of

written documents is outstanding.

As a highly significant financial me-

tropolis and the seat of numerous

banks, Siena was a complex commu-

nity that regulated the social con-

flicts between its individual strata by

finely balanced constitutional

means. In a climate such as this, reli-

gious expression was as individual

as the outpouring of art and archi-

tecture.

Every church has its own history,

yet again and again, there were

events that impacted on all the citys

religious buildings. The plague of

1348 cut the city to the quick, caus-

ing new building projects to falter

and existing structures to be demol-

ished. There is still evidence to be

found in many places of the subse-

quent works of Saint Catharine of

Siena (1347 to 1380) a charismatic

woman who cared for the sick and

yet associated with the highest dig-

nitaries, up to and including the

Pope. An Apostolic Visitation in

1575 during the course of the

Counter-Reformation led to numer-

ous changes in church decoration

and furnishing. And the earthquake

of 1798 unleashed a wave of resto-

ration.

Only through an interdisciplinary

approach is it possible to develop

and decipher the contexts necessary

to understand the churches and their

contents. And indeed, this is the ap-

proach adopted by the Siena Project,

which, in doing so, leaves the studies

of the churches of Florence far in its

wake. While the results achieved

through a sophisticated study of

archives, building structures or

restoration may be restricted to

bricks and mortar, the perspective

broadens substantially once histori-

cal, theological and philological as-

pects are added to the equation. That

is the fascinating thing about the

Siena Project: the hard facts gleaned

about each building through highly

professional fundamental research

are then re-evaluated in the light of

further questions and answers.

Just how complex and multi-lay-

ered the problems can be is evi-

denced by a visit to the church of

San Domenico, work on which has

already been completed and pub-

lished. Monika Butzek and Wolfgang

Loseries point to the example of the

Venturini chapel. This is located in

the transept, whose construction did

not begin until the late 14th century.

Apart from the shell, however, little

remains of its medieval appearance,

which is now dominated by the

Baroque influence.

LOST, BUT

STILLINTEGRAL

In the early 18th century, the family

chapel of the Venturini was exten-

sively modernized with stucco and

frescoes of contemporary design and

with the addition of a new altar.

However, on closer examination, it is

evident that medieval panel paint-

ings were inserted into this modern

frame. The altarpiece, for example,

comprises a painting by Guido da

Siena of the Madonna, dating from

the 13th century, which originally

hung above the main entrance of the

church. At a time when little value

was attached to these pictures,

Domenico Venturini assembled sev-

eral of them in his chapel. The com-

bination of ancient and modern is

quite remarkable here.

Following the earthquake of 1798,

the panels were taken to the Palazzo

Pubblico, and only recently, as a re-

sult of the Siena Project, found their

way back to their at least since the

18th century original location. Ba-

OCUS ItalianART HISTOR

34 MA XPL A N C KRE S E A R C H 3 / 2 0 0 5 3 / 2 0 0 5 MA XPL A N C KRE S E A R C H 35

iena cathedral viewed from the west. The loggia, seen to the right in the background, is a

ant of the side aisle surviving from the abandoned Duomo Nuovo project of the mid-14th century.

Reconstruction

of the Siena ca-

thedral: The trans-

parent walls afford

a view of thestructures beneath

the pavimentum.

1: The square in

front of the bap-

tistry; 2: Via dei

Fusari north of the

cathedral; 3: The

former oratory of San Giovannino; 4: The grotto and passageway that led to the discovery

of the under-church; 5: The rediscovered under-church; 6: Floor level inside the cathedral.

1

GRAPHIC:TARCISIO

BRATTO

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3 / 2 0 0 5 MA XPL A N C KRE S E A R C H 37

far as the exterior is concerned

took place under exceptionally diffi-

cult topographical conditions, which

led to some extraordinary solutions.

The building also poses the great-

est scientific demands. To do justice

to these challenges, a study of the

cathedral was initiated in 1992

somewhat prematurely since, given

the name of the saint to whom it is

dedicated (Santa Maria dellAssunt),

its turn had not yet come. However,

it was rightly felt that, with the suc-

cessful completion of this work, the

entire project would have scaled a

height from which all future studies

could be surveyed with relative ease.

Even the history of the cathedrals

construction is so complex that

many illustrations to this day con-

vey an erroneous and confusing im-

age. Now, at last, the first volume on

the architecture of the cathedral will

soon go to press. This will make the

cathedral of Siena the most exten-

sively researched cathedral in Eu-

rope, says Max Seidel.

The research work was tackled

with the painstaking precision that

only a large-scale project can

achieve. An individual scientist

working alone would have faced in-

surmountable difficulties. First of all,

an archivist was enlisted: Stefano

Moscadelli, whose initial task was to

wade through the archive of the

ItalianART HISTOR

sically, the project always works its

way backwards from the existing

condition of the building in order to

progressively reconstruct earlier

states. The panel portraying the

Madonna already referred to is con-

sidered in the context of both the

13th and the early 18th centuries.

The organization of the published

volumes of results clarifies this ap-

proach: all existing sources, draw-

ings and depictions are painstaking-

ly compiled as a result of lengthy

preliminary archive searches, not

only in Siena. This provides an ini-

tial chronology, which is followed by

a detailed description of the build-

ing. In turn, this systematically pre-

pared and clearly presented material

forms a basis on which to depict the

history of the building. The example

set by the cathedral shows just how

complicated the story can be. In a

virtual tour, all of the existing deco-

rations and furnishings are de-

scribed, analyzed and evaluated. In

addition, much scope is allotted to

what has been lost.

A similarly systematic approach is

evident in the volume of illustra-

tions, which is broken down into ve-

dute, plans, external and internal

photographs and illustrations of fur-

nishings and decor, while the vol-

ume containing the plans specially

created by the project on the basis of

photogrammetric processes contains

horizontal and vertical projections,

sections and reconstructions of earli-

er building states. At present, a total

of three volumes have been complet-

ed, each of which is divided into

three or four parts one or two for

the text, one for the photographic

documentation and one for the plans

as well as several smaller supple-

mentary volumes devoted to special

topics.

A SHIP IN A

SEA OFHOUSES

The third volume, which deals with

the architecture of the cathedral, is

due to go to press soon. The cathe-dral furnishings and decoration are

so extensive as to require a separate

volume, which is expected to appear

in 2010. The project has thus chosen

to publish its results in a traditional,

but at the same time enduring form

an indispensable consideration,

despite the possibilities afforded by

new media. Since the volumes of re-

sults in each case require extensive

advance preparation, they are ac-

companied by supplements that al-

low self-contained aspects to be

published with much greater speed.

The most fascinating of Sienas

churches is without a doubt the

cathedral. It sails like a giant ship

across the sea of houses from which

it distinguishes itself by its sheer

mass, its clear geometric forms and

the luminosity of its white marble

cladding. Four window axes for the

choir to the east are offset by five

axes for the nave to the west. Be-

tween them is the domed cupola,

which marks the point of intersec-

tion. Set to one side is the elegant

campanile, and at the far end, the

sharply pointed gable rises above the

entrance.

The dimensions of the building are

dramatically enhanced by its posi-

tion on a hilly spur that drops away

steeply to the north and east. The

construction work, which was com-

pleted within a century at least as

OCUS

36 MA XPL A N C KRE S E A R C H 3 / 2 0 0 5

Siena Cathedral Masons Guild and

create an inventory to support future

access. There are more documents

relating to the 13th and 14th cen-

turies preserved here than survive

for all of Germanys cathedrals put

together, says Seidel. It was quickly

decided to publish Moscadellis re-

search in a separate, supplementary

volume, which appeared in 1995.

THEUNDER-CHURCH

REDISCOVERED

A year later, Monika Butzek present-

ed another supplementary volume,

this time devoted to source material

found predominantly outside of

Siena: letters and drawings from the

Vatican Library and the State

Archive in Florence, which shed

light on the last great phase of con-

struction in the time of Pope

Alexander VII (1655 to 1667).

Currently, Stefano Moscadelli is

collaborating with Andrea Giorgi on

another separate volume that deals

exclusively with aspects of construc-

tion, organization, financing and the

procurement of building materials in

the Middle Ages. The abundant

source material provides some sur-

prising socio-cultural insights. The

work of recording and researching

the structure, entrusted to the two

renowned medievalists Dethard von

Winterfeld and Walter Haas, was

similarly subjected to the highest

standards. The specially developed

photogrammetric processes were

evaluated by specialists at the mea-

surement photographic service in

Dresden, and the resulting horizontal

and vertical projections and sections

form a part-volume of their own.

Let us, for a moment, imagine our-

selves below the Siena cathedral, in

the small underground church that

was not rediscovered until 1999, and

that took until 2002 to re-excavate.

The architectural envelope that is,

the very space itself whose func-

tion within the cathedral organism

raises many unanswered questions,

is as fascinating as the paintings that

adorn it. Not only are the walls dec-

orated with frescoes on a grand

scale; some of the architectural ele-

ments here a capital, there the

shaft of a column are also com-

posed in powerful colors, such as sky

blue or orange. The medieval mason-

ry, architectural elements and wall

paintings contrast poignantly with

the tightly interwoven network of

modern steel stanchions supporting

the floor above.

The discovery of the under-church

can be credited, not to the Siena

Project, but to restoration works car-

ried out by the cathedrals own ma-

sons. The excavations were fraught

with cost and risk, say Monika

The historic heart of Siena: In the foreground is the cathedral;

further back is the Piazza del Campo.

Panoramic view of Sienas cathedral mount, with the

Dominican convent of San Domenico in the foreground.

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38 MA XPL A N C KRE S E A R C H 3 / 2 0 0 5

FOCUS

Butzek and Wolfgang Loseries, and

the Institute in Florence was obvi-

ously not in a position either to pro-

vide the necessary funds the pro-

ject cost a total of five million euros

or to accept responsibility. Financ-

ing came from the Monte dei Paschi

di Siena bank, while the risk was

borne by the Italian authorities, led

by the Opera del Duomo and the lo-

cal historic preservation department.

It was a fortunate coincidence that

this find was made just at the time

when the Siena Project had turned

its attention to the cathedral, andwas thus able to integrate itself into

the excavations. Max Seidel, as one

of the Siena Project publishers, and

Stefano Moscadelli and Andrea

Giorgi, as long-standing project

members, were major contributors to

the record of these sensational finds

published by the Siena Cathedral

Masons Guild.

The under-church is an integral

part of the present-day cathedral,

becoming obsolete only after the

completion of the baptistry, and is

not part of the earlier building. Nev-

ertheless, the apse of the preceding

structure has now been traced to the

east of the under-church. It will be

the task of future generations to

continue the research, says Seidel,

possibly with the aid of non-inva-

sive imaging techniques rather than

through excavation.

The necessarily intensive research

into the physical structure is paral-

leled by an equally detailed study of

its contexts. In the volume devoted

to the cathedral, this objective is re-

alized even more distinctly than in

previously published findings. For

the first time, the volume contains a

detailed description of the cathedralrestoration, which cannot be consid-

ered in isolation from the general

development of this discipline both

in Italy and across Europe.

The reinstatement of purity to

which many Baroque additions fell

victim from the mid-19th century

onward is a regularly observed phe-

nomenon. The cathedral building not

only exercised an influence on its

immediate surroundings; it has also

repeatedly impacted on the entire

practice and theory of urban de-

velopment in Siena. This phenome-

non, too, has now been researched in

detail.

The ripple effects of the Siena

Project are already unmistakable.

Not only does it serve to confirm

the validity of the work itself when

individual church communities have

excerpts from the volumes translat-

ed for re-publication, but above all,

Italian researchers have since taken

up the methods and systems devel-oped by the Siena Project in order

to study some of Sienas churches

on their own initiative. The model

can, in principle, be transferred to

any religious building. And the vol-

umes relating to the cathedral, in

particular, will set a new standard

for the study of buildings on this

scale.

After 30 years of intensive re-

search, the aim is now to complete

the project in the foreseeable future.

It is estimated that the next five

years will be taken up in dealing

with the decoration and furnishings

of the cathedral. Alone the vast ar-

ray of sculptures spanning several

centuries will reward these efforts.

The intention is to explore new ways

of communicating results, by pre-

senting part-volumes of findings

through an exhibition, accompanied

by a scientific catalog. Concrete

plans already exist for an exhibi-

tion devoted to the treasures of the

cathedral.

THE MEDITERRANEAN

AS A NEW HORIZON

Thereafter, the project will concen-

trate on the principal buildings thatare still outstanding. The lesser

churches will be specifically allocat-

ed to young art historians who, in

return, are offered the prospect of

integration into a functioning net-

work. The project has always regard-

ed itself as a training ground for

young scholarship students and uni-

versity researchers. Particularly the

work of young scientists would re-

ceive a huge boost, says Max Seidel,

if they were able to exploit their gift

for research through the medium of

an interdisciplinary project.

The risk that has always been at

the forefront of the publishers

minds, namely that the Institutes re-

search efforts would be overly domi-

nated by this one project, has at last

been banished following the

takeover of the Institute by the Max

Planck Society. Gerhard Wolf, the

new Director, has taken the Siena

Project under his wing, but at the

same time, he has also opened upnew horizons, including cultural ex-

change projects in the Mediterranean

region. Research into the unique cul-

tural landscape of Tuscany in the

Middle Ages and the Renaissance

will, however, remain an important

aspect of the future work of the In-

stitute, to ensure that this heritage is

viewed in the context of European

and Mediterranean culture.

GUIDO HINTERKEUSER

A view of the Bichi chapel in the church of

St. Augustine in Siena, with its rediscovered frescoes

on the walls and vaulted ceilings.