The Allegory of Good and Bad Government
| The Allegory of Good and Bad Government | |
|---|---|
| Italian: Allegoria ed effetti del Buono e del Cattivo Governo | |
Detail of Allegory of Good Government | |
| Artist | Ambrogio Lorenzetti |
| Year | 1338 |
| Medium | Fresco |
| Movement | Gothic art, Sienese School |
| Subject | Allegorical depictions of good and bad government |
| Dimensions | 7.7 x 14.4m (room) |
| Location | Palazzo Pubblico, Siena |
| Owner | Fondazione Musei Senesi |
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The Allegory of Good and Bad Government is a series of three fresco panels painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti between February 1338 and May 1339. The paintings are located in Siena's Palazzo Pubblico—specifically in the Sala dei Nove ("Salon of Nine"), the council hall of the Republic of Siena's nine executive magistrates, elected officials who performed executive functions (and judicial ones in secular matters). The paintings have been construed as being "designed to remind the Nine [magistrates] of just how much was at stake as they made their decisions".
Considered Lorenzetti's "undisputed masterpiece", the series consists of six different scenes (the titles are all modern conveniences):
- Allegory of Good Government
- Allegory of Bad Government
- Effects of Bad Government in the City
- Effects of Bad Government in the Country
- Effects of Good Government in the City
- Effects of Good Government in the Country