Visit to Biccherne Museum
Posted on 06. Feb, 2013 by admin in Archive, Culture
Today we suggest you an original venue in the heart of Siena, where is housed a unique collection which tells an important period of Siena’s history.
Is Palazzo Piccolomini, at via Banchi di Sotto 52, where rises the State Archive Centre and the Biccherne Museum (name that stands for financial administration of Comune di Siena), the Biccherne are wood tablets used as covers for registers from 1257 to 1659; only recently the real value of these works was recognized.
Each tablet depicts holy scenes or historical events and features simbols of magistracy members, which turned every six months; thanks to the studies made by experts now we can attribute the artworks to Senese authors previously unknown as Rinaldo da Siena, Dietisalvi di Speme and Guido di Graziano, but there are also tablets painted by the renowned artists Ambrogio Lorenzetti and Ventura Salimbeni.
The 105 tablets allow a journey into the past of Siena, precious works which were also exported abroad, you can visit the musem from Monday to Saturday, from 9:30 am to 12:30 am, the entrance is free.
The second part of the Museum exhibits illumintaed codes from VIII to XIX century, the last will and testament of Giovanni Boccaccio (the Decameron author) and an exhibition dedicated to the characters of Divine Comedy.
At the end of the visit we suggest the room of land registry “Leopoldino”, where to consult the maps of Siena and province which date back to XIX century, important evidences of Senese evolution.
So don’t miss the opportinity to admire the tablets, a rare sample of accuracy, the proof that art can express emotions, keep traditions and tell pieces of history in many ways.
