Chiara Frugoni's 'Paradiso vista Inferno' Analyzes Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Political Frescoes

Historian Chiara Frugoni has published a new book, 'Paradiso vista Inferno', with il Mulino, analyzing Ambrogio Lorenzetti's frescoes in the Sala dei Nove of Siena's Palazzo Pubblico. Painted between 1338 and 1339, the frescoes depict the Allegory of Good Government and the Allegory of Bad Government, serving as a political manifesto for the ruling Nove government. Lorenzetti broke with medieval conventions by portraying anonymous common people—men and women engaged in daily work—rather than only saints or prominent figures. The Good Government fresco shows a prosperous Siena with beautiful palaces and a lush countryside, where all citizens contribute to a harmonious society under enlightened rule. In contrast, the Bad Government fresco illustrates tyranny, violence, and destruction resulting from self-interest. Frugoni's 344-page book includes high-quality plates with detailed zooms to help readers understand the allegorical messages. The Nove commissioned the frescoes to communicate their political vision permanently to the entire community, as no mass media existed. Frugoni, who taught at universities in Pisa, Rome, and Paris, emphasizes that the government wanted to visually demonstrate that their rule was the only good option and what would happen without it.