Out of the box: in dialogue. From the deposit to the museum – crossed perspectives at Santa Maria della Scala

Curatorial experiment

Visitor Notices

fresco

The Pellegrinaio

Level IV

The fresco depicts the story of Sorore and is prominently displayed today on the left side, above the door leading to the aisles of Sant'Ansano and San Galgano.

Story of Blessed Sorore

particolare "l'accrescere di muraglie"

The fresco in the third bay of the Pellegrinaio depicts a construction site related to the hospital, with an octagonal building in the background and a portico where workers are engaged in their tasks.

Enlargement of the hospital

particolare dell'affresco "consegna l'abito al rettore"

The fresco by Priamo della Quercia located in the Pellegrinaio, in the fourth bay on the right, represents the blessed Agostino Novello presenting the Augustinian habit to the Rector. Among the characters, the emperor John VIII Palaiologos can be recognized.

Agostino Novello gives the habit to the rector

The fresco in the fifth bay on the right located in the Pellegrinaio depicts Eugene IV handing a scroll to Carlo d'Agnolino Bartoli. In the background, Oriental and African figures can be seen.

The Pope grants an indulgence

The fresco, by Domenico di Bartolo, is located in the fifth bay on the left in the Pellegrinaio and depicts a medieval hospital with doctors, friars, and nurses, offering a detailed portrayal of hospital life from 1378.

The care of the sick

The fresco located in the fourth bay on the left of the Pellegrinaio depicts a historical scene in the hospital, highlighting the weekly distribution of bread to the poor. It features figures of pilgrims, sick individuals, and nobles, such as the Emperor Sigismund.

Almsgiving

The "marriage of young girls" is located in the fourth bay of the Pellegrinaio. This bay features a significant scene illustrating one of the charitable functions of the hospital: the marriage of young poor women, a practice that was part of the hospital's activities in providing assistance and social support during the medieval period.

Giving young women away in marriage

The almsgiving of the Corticella is located in the third bay of the Pellegrinaio. This bay is one of the most significant, as it hosts scenes related to hospitality and the care of pilgrims, including the distribution of alms, in a context that reflects the charitable practices and assistance of the medieval hospital.

The almsgiving of the Corticella

Marble

Sculpture

National Archaeological Museum

head of Pseudo Seneca

Levels I and II

The head was found accidentally in 1930 in Siena, on via Mascagni, during the construction of the Hygiene laboratory. The portrait depicts an elderly man with an emaciated face, lined with deep wrinkles and covered by a light beard; his hair is arranged in disordered tufts starting from the vortex at the nape. The type is known in the Roman world from a significant number of replicas. The incorrect identification with Seneca, categorically refuted by the nineteenth-century discovery of an inscribed portrait of the philosopher, is attributed to Fulvio Orsini in the Imagines et elogia virorum illustrium (1578). Since the nineteenth century, there have been numerous proposals for identification, mostly directed towards the most important Greek poets such as Museo, Tespi, Archilochus, Euripides, Theocritus, Homer, Aristophanes, Aesop. The emaciated and neglected appearance of the type has led, even recently, to the suggestion of the quintessential peasant poet, Hesiod. While the identity of the figure remains uncertain, the original from which the series of Roman copies is derived seems more defined, likely being a portrait created in the late 2nd century BC. The Sienese copy can be dated to the 1st century AD.

Head of the so-called Pseudo-Seneca

il soffitto

The ceiling decoration in the Pellegrinaio hall, created between 1439 and 1441 by Agostino di Marsiglio, features saints and figures, along with coats of arms and vegetal motifs, across the five spans and four connecting arches.

The ceiling of the Pellegrinaio

Cinerary urn

Urna di Larth Sentinate Cumere

The urn, belonging to the family tomb of the Sentinate Cumere, shows the deceased semi-reclining on the kline. On the coffin is a representation of the recognition between the two brothers, the sons of Agamemnon, Iphigenia, and Orestes in Tauris.

Urn of Larth Sentinate Cumere

urn of the Sentinate Cumere family

The urn, belonging to the tomb of the Sentinate Cumere, features a recumbent male figure on its lid. The scene depicted on the chest has been interpreted in various ways: the traditional interpretation of two warriors supported by companions as a representation of the dying Eteocles and Polynices has been questioned due to the presence of the lightning bolt.

Urn of the tomb of the Sentinate Cumere

The Old Sacristy

In 1444, Domenico di Bartolo painted the Madonna della Misericordia in the Chapel of Relics, which later became a place of veneration. In 1610, the fresco was transferred to the Old Sacristy. During the restoration in 1969, preparatory sketches and hidden side panels were discovered.

Our Lady of the Mantle

Gold-plated silver

The Reliquary is a liturgical object of great artistic and religious value. It features reliefs depicting the Resurrection and the Crucifixion.

The Reliquary 

bucchero

ceramics

heavy bucchero amphora

The amphora, reddish-brown in color ('red bucchero'), comes from a tomb discovered in the locality of Querce al Pino, Chiusi. The body of the vase is decorated with a stamped band featuring sphinxes facing left, while the shoulder is adorned with seed pod shapes with hanging drops. On the rim, aligned with the handles, are plastic female heads. The tomb's grave goods also included another similar amphora and two hydrias.

Heavy bucchero amphora

Silver and enamels

The reliquary of the Holy Nail is a work of great historical and artistic value, linked to one of the most important objects of devotion in Christian tradition.

Reliquary of the Holy Nail

Original fragment by Jacopo della Quercia representing Hope, detail of the Fonte Gaia.

The Hope, Fonte Gaia

The Fonte Gaia

Level III

The marble sculpture represents Acca Larentia and was created by Jacopo della Quercia for the Fonte Gaia.

Acca Larentia, Fonte Gaia

rea silvia

The marble sculpture represents Rhea Silvia and was created by Jacopo della Quercia for the Fonte Gaia.

Rhea Silvia, Fonte Gaia

Plaster

The sculpture by Tito Sarrocchi represents Temperance; it is a plaster replica based on Jacopo della Quercia&rsquo;s model for the Fonte Gaia.

The Temperance, Tito Sarrocchi

From May 22 to September 30, 2025, the Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala Foundation presents the exhibition Jacob Hashimoto. Path to the Sky, curated by Raphaëlle Blanga, an expert in modern and contemporary art.

locandina mostra

Jacob Hashimoto. Path to the sky

From May 17th to 25th, the exhibition A ritrovar la Diana at the Magazzini della Corticella raises awareness among young people about water issues and Siena's water-related heritage, with works created by students. The initiative is part of the "Siena and Water" project.

percorsi dell'acqua

A ritrovar la Diana

On Wednesday, May 21st, in the Italo Calvino Hall, architect Luca Molinari will engage in a dialogue with representatives from Odile Decq, Studio LAN, and Hannes Peer to present the design competition for the restoration and enhancement of over 18,000 square meters of the Museum Complex. The goal is to strengthen its cultural and educational mission.

Public Conversation Santa Maria della Scala and Its Future with architect Luca Molinari

The volume retraces the history of the coin collection of the National Archaeological Museum, highlighting its main sources and the find contexts within the Siena area.

Presentation of the Volume "The Collection of Etruscan Coins at the National Archaeological Museum of Siena"

From May 6 to May 18, 2025, the Santa Maria della Scala will host the exhibition WE, YOU, THE OTHERS. Together along the paths of art, curated by the Cooperativa Riuscita Sociale and the Caselli Institute of Education.&nbsp;

WE, YOU, THE OTHERS. Together along the paths of art

Paper Garden. The thread and the sign: assemblages, grafts, and diary-books

On Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16, 2025, the initiative "Letture di Fotografia" returns to Santa Maria della Scala, created by the Siena Foto Club (SFC) in collaboration with the Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala Foundation. This two-day event, now in its fourth edition, is entirely dedicated to the promotion and knowledge of photography.

“Photography readings” IV edition

On Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 6:00 PM, in the Italo Calvino room, we welcome the writer Dacia Maraini who presents the book Vita mia. Japan 1943. Memories of an Italian girl in a prisoner of war camp (Rizzoli, 2023), during the week in which the Day of Remembrance is celebrated.&nbsp;

Presentation of the book "My Life. Japan 1943. Memories of an Italian Girl in a Prison Camp" by Dacia Maraini

The guided tours titled “Water Paths at Santa Maria della Scala” return to the Museum.&nbsp;

Exploring the water pathways within the museum

On the first Sunday of each month, Santa Maria della Scala opens its doors to the public for free. An opportunity to visit the museum complex and the National Archaeological Museum.

Sunday at Santa Maria della Scala

On Thursday, November 28, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, a commemorative event will be held to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the official birth of Surrealism (Manifeste du Surréalisme, André Breton 1924) with a tribute to a great master of the 20th century, Fabrizio Clerici (Milan 1913-Rome 1993), a fine intellectual, graduated in architecture, and an eclectic artist, active as an illustrator, engraver, painter, set designer, and costume designer.

FABRIZIO CLERICI IN THE PRINTS OF THE BRIGANTI LIBRARY. 'Signs' of friendship in the centenary of Surrealism

On December 11 and 12, 2024, as part of the celebrations organized by the Tuscany Region for the 450th anniversary of the death of Cosimo I de' Medici, the conference "Siena, Florence and Cosimo I de' Medici" will take place in the Sant'Ansano hall.

Celebrations of the 450th anniversary of the death of Cosimo I de' Medici. Study conference: "Siena, Florence, and Cosimo I de' Medici"

On Sunday, December 15th at 5:00 PM, in the Italo Calvino room, the documentary film Mario Verdone: the traveling critic, by Luca Verdone, will be screened.

Documentary film MARIO VERDONE: THE CRITICAL TRAVELER

Giornata Internazionale delle Donne

The International Women's Day at Santa Maria della Scala

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Out of the box: in dialogue. From the deposit to the museum – crossed perspectives at Santa Maria della Scala

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