[The 'Description of the City of Siena' by Curzio Sergardi 1679]

Translation by Francesco Mazzaferro
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La Descrizione della Città di Siena

di Curzio Sergardi 1679
[The Description of the City of Siena
by Curzio Sergardi 1679]

Edited by Enrico Toti
Texts by Maria Assunta Ceppari Ridolfi, Enrico Toti and Patrizia Turrini

Siena, Protagon Publischers and Municipality of  Siena Museum Complex of Santa Maria della Scala, 2008

The Historic Center of Siena
Source: Wikimedia Commons

[1] The description of the city of Siena is an unpublished work, which has come to us in three different manuscript copies: an original of 1679, currently kept at the State Archives of Siena, in the Sergardi Biringucci Spannocchi Fund, 32 (formerly A2), ins. 47; a second copy, available at the Public Library of Intronati of Siena, ms. E.III2 9, dating back to 1686, when Sergardi himself offers significant enhancements, especially (but not only) relating to new contributions to the artistic heritage in the previous seven years; and finally an (incomplete) nineteenth century copy, transcribed by Giovacchino Faluschi in 1821 (Public Library Intronati of Siena, ms. E.VI.20). "The text published here is the original of 1679 (ms. A), integrated with the many extensions that Sergardi introduced in 1686 (ms. B)... The few corrections, additions and changes made in the ms. C by Faluschi are instead reproduced only in footnotes... The so executed transcript leads therefore to setting up a critical version, formed by the merger of the two versions of the seventeenth century, which permits the reader to enjoy both of them." (p. 31). In this sense, it would probably have been a more accurate choice to mention both years when manuscripts A and B where drafted in the book's title.

The Siena Cathedral
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Interior of the Siena Cathedral
Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Siena Cathedral Pulpit by Nicola Pisano
Source: Wikimedia Commons

[2] The Description fits perfectly in the seventeenth-century tradition of scholarly works designed to enhance the tradition, the identity and the local richness of a town whose political importance had however by now actually become completely secondary. The plot unfolds in quite tested patterns, ranging from a eulogistic reconstruction of the history of the city to the description of the various forms of government in the succession of ages, according to a spiral structure that naturally resulted in the current and perfect institutional structure. What is most important here, however, is that the artistic heritage is also considered, naturally without proper awareness and stylistic criticism, but precisely as a testimony to the greatness and importance of the city. Right from the opening pages the critical edition, it is clear that Sergardi limited himself, from this point of view, to quote from Vasari's Lives, simply mentioning art attributions of which he was not the author. It follows that, for the news related to art, the description is of particular importance above all in the seventeenth century (and in particular for the period between 1679 and 1686), when Sergardi provides information on artworks substantially contemporaneous to him and on which is therefore well prepared . Virtually nothing - and it could not be otherwise - is instead said by him on the so-called "primitive" artists, so much so that the description of many parish churches is omitted as "ancient" and therefore devoid of any value also witness. The exception, in this sense, is represented by the praises he makes to Guido da Siena. However, even here the judgment is not stylistic, but rather intended to refute the arguments of the pro-Florentine Vasari, who had described Cimabue as the father of the revival of the art in Italy. Vasari, therefore, is used as a source when it comes to providing indication on Siena’s artistic heritage; he is however refuted on a purely "political" basis, when he detects any historic primacy of Florence on other urban areas. Even here, we are in the presence of a normal phenomenon in those years throughout Italy.

Duccio, Our Lady and the Child with Angels and Saints [Maestà del Duomo di Siena], Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Source: Wikimedia Commons

[3] On the artistic literature on Siena, it is always useful to have as a reference point the Art Literature by Schlosser (pp. 528 and 590-591).

Siena, The Fonte Gaia
Source: Wikimedia Commons

[4] The final section of the work contains a text by Patrizia Turrini entitled Le stampe in onore della principessa Violante Beatrice di Baviera nel carteggio di Ludovico Sergardi (Quinto Settano) con Giulio del Taia e Alessandro Marsili. (Prints in honour of Princess Violante Beatrice of Bavaria in the correspondence of Ludovico Sergardi (Quinto Settano) with Giulio del Taia and Alessandro Marsili). The writer Ludovico Sergardi was the son of Curzio.