Immagini, spazi e pratiche delle confraternite di devozione a Siena nel tardo Medioevo

Images, Spaces, and Practices of Devotional Confraternities in Late Medieval SienaThis thesis explores the artistic patronage dynamics of devotional confraternities in Siena from the late 13th to 15th centuries, focusing on the role played by the images in the different religious and communal practices. Siena, rich in historical sources, offers an exemplary framework despite the scarcity of surviving material evidence: the introduction highlights the complexity of Siena’s confraternal landscape and the dispersal of artistic heritage due to renovations and the late 18th-century Suppressions. It also outlines the historical evolution of confraternities, from the 13th century foundation to the late 15th century, identifying key moments like the early 14th-century rise of the disciplinati and the impact of the Observant reform and the preaching of Bernardino of Siena at the beginning of the Quattrocento. The second chapter, “Images, Spaces, and Practices”, examines how confraternity members engaged with art in various rituals, including flagellation, processions and funerals, revealing the “multimedia” connection between the images viewed by the socii and the texts read or sung during ceremonies. The chapter also analyses how spaces evolved, particularly highlighting the shift to independent oratories and the architectural features of confraternal buildings, such as “double chapels” with separate spaces for members and outsiders. This section also delves into the role of confraternal murals and the iconography, functions, and techniques used in these artworks. Additionally, the chapter investigates the furnishings of confraternities, such as altarpieces, processional banners, and funerary artifacts. It highlights their central role in devotional practices and examines their modifications over time, including restorations and repurposing. A final section focuses on the recruitment of artists, the confraternities’ economic capacities, and fluctuating expenditures. The second section of the thesis offers an ‘atlas’ formed by analytical entries dedicated to particularly significant confraternities or related groups, categorized by centre of aggregation, detailing their foundation, development, devotional customs, headquarters, furnishings, and a complete edition of their oldest inventories.