Siena

At the top, along the upper border, is printed: ABSCONDI NON POTEST CIVITAS SUPRA MONTEM POSITA. At the top left we find the Medici family crest, at the top right the city crest: lower down, in the center of the card, is engraved the title: SIENA. Along the bottom margin reads: Breve totius Historiae Senarum Argumentum Orlando Malavolta Auctore. SENAM Urbem AEtruscis victis à principio Romani habuerunt; Quo Colonia P. Corn. Rufino et Marco Curio Dentato Conss. deducta; eam per Praefectos gubernabant; A quorum Dominatione, declinante Imperio, cum reliquis Italiae Populis sub Erulorum Regis Odoacris cecidit potestate; Quo a Theodorico superato Gothi eam tenuerunt; Hos Graeci Narsette Duce expulere; Eos Longobardi , sub quorum Rege Pertari in sexta Generali Synodo iussu Agatonis Papae Anno Domini DCLXXVI Constantinopoli acta interfuit Vitalianus, qui se subscripsit Sanctae Senesis Ecclesiae Episcopus, qua dignitate a Iohanne primo antiquitus ornata fuerat Civitas quae sub Deoclitiano Principe. Ab Ansano Christi fidem ecceperat; Longobardorum potentia in Carolum cognomento Magnum cessit, a quo Libertate donata, primum Nobiles Remp. instituere; Quae, post nobilem illam Montis Aperti Victoriam discodijs Civilibus agitata in paucorum potentiam ex Aristocratica, tunc in Democraticam commutatur; Unde perniciosa MONTIUM nomina exorta sunt; Nam postquam Consulare eius Nobilium cessit, ex ordine populari Vigintiquatour, deinde Sexaginta mox Trigintasex, tum Quindecim virorum Collegia ad breve tempus Remp. gesserunt; Neq[ue] Novem virorum Potestas ultra Septuaginta annos diu valuit Quod in popularem licentiam lapsa Duodecim viros successores habuit; Et illi post non multum tempus Reformatores; Sublatisq[ue] Vicecomitum, ac nonnullorum Civium Tyrranide; Revocatisq[ue] pluries exulibus, sepe forma Reip. immutata est: Demum (cùm Civilibus, tum externis armis fessa) iterum sub Monarchiam reversa a Magno AEtruriae Duce feliciter gubernatur.

The city is represented presumably from the north-west, from an elevated point of view. The walls, visible only in part, are low and crenellated; in the center, outside the walls, it is possible to recognize the remains of the Spanish fortress destroyed by the Sienese in 1552. The Virgin, depicted in glory between San Bernardino and Santa Caterina, dominates the city of Siena; the Medici coat of arms is visible on the left, and on the right, the Sienese coat of arms composed of the rampant lion and the Balzana. The image of the city, despite the fact that the engraving was published much later, preserves the characteristics of Republican Siena, prior to the annexation of the State of Siena to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1559. In fact, the urban interventions ordered by the Grand Duke after the war are not recorded; among these is the Medici fortress of Santa Barbara, built starting in 1561 on the remains of the Spanish fortress. Pellegrini has doubts about the attribution of the relief of this engraving to Malavolti.

Rombai considers it as a possible derivation of the egraving relative to the siege by the monogrammer FF. According to part of the literature, the view is published in Orlando Malavolti's work Dell'historia di Siena, written by Orlando Malauolti gentilhuomo sanese. The first part, is printed in Siena by Luca Bonetti, 1574. However, the exemplars of this work consulted are devoid of the view, which instead we have surveyed in some sixteenth-century folio collections. A derivation of the view, attributed to Theodor Galle, is included in the Historia delle guerre e de' fatti de' Senesi by Orlando Malavolti, published posthumously in Venice by Silvestro Marchetti in 1599.

Orlando Malavolti, a native of Siena, is the best known of the local historians. He came from a noble family and held numerous public offices: under the Medici principality he was Confaloniere and Capitano del popolo. In the last years of his life, he began to write the history of Siena, from its origins to the fall of the republic. The first part of the work was published in Siena in 1574 with the title Historia di Siena, printed by Luca Bonetti, with a dedication to Cosimo de Medici. The continuation of the work was protracted in time and when it was started the printing Malavolti died. The work entitled Historia de' fatti e delle guerre de' Senesi was published posthumously in two parts, in Venice in 1599, by Silvestro Marchetti libraro in Siena all'insegna della Lupa.

Etching and engraving, printed on contemporary laid paper, with margins, in perfect condition. Wonderful example of this very rare panorama of Siena.

Bibliografia

Bifolco-Ronca, Cartografia e topografia italiana del XVI secolo, tav. 1197; Bonasera (1979): p. 80, n. 25B; Bortolotti (1982): p. 7; Pellegrini (1986): pp. 94-98; Rombai (1980): pp. 91-93.