Beyond the Palio
Urbanism and Ritual in Renaissance Siena

Philippa Jackson (Edited by), Fabrizio Nevola (Edited by)

9781405155724, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 18 September 2006

160 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.9 cm, 0.24 kg

"The book is better focused than the average set or conference papers. It is well illustrated." (The Journals of Early Modern Studies, Summer 2010)

"This book is the first modern collection of essays in English to look at civic ritual in the city of Siena and it presents a refreshingly theorized approach to how the Sienese used public performances and the collective memories of space and history to structure the urban polity. The volume is a watershed accomplishment, marking - finally - a renaissance of scholarly interest and debate on this fascinating city. One could not have asked for a more coherent, engaged, and informed group of essays to rekindle interest in Siena among both the academic community and the public at large." John T. Paoletti, Kenan Professor of the Humanities, Art and Art History Department, Wesleyan University

Beyond the Palio is an interdisciplinary collection of essays examining the components and importance of ritual events and ceremonies in Renaissance Siena.

• Brings together studies based upon diverse disciplinary and methodological approaches to a common theme.
  
• Provides specific case studies and useful comparisons to well-known monographic studies of ritual in Florence and Venice.
  
• Concentrates on a single city to emphasize the important function of public rituals to life during the early modern period.
  
• Looks at both local ritual life and the ways it was presented to and viewed by those outside the city.

1. Introduction: Beyond the Palio: Urbanism and Ritual in Renaissance Siena: Philippa Jackson and Fabrizio Nevola.

2. ‘Sotto uno Baldachino Trionfale’: the Ritual Significance of the Painted Canopy in Simone Martini’s Maestà: Diana Norman.

Subject Areas: History [HB]