The Sala dei Nove (Hall of the Nine) is located in Siena’s city hall, the Palazzo Pubblico. Inside, one can find uniquely political frescoes spanning some 35 meters, painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Completed between 1338 and 1339, these frescoes' secular subject stands apart from the typically religious ones of the time. 

The frescos adorn the Council Chamber of le Nove (the Nine), the nine council members who constituted Siena’s governing body. In complementing the locational context, Lorenzetti painted political virtues for the Nine to ponder as they made important legislative decisions. Spanning three walls, the Allegory of Good and Bad Government can be read in the form of a three-part cycle. 

Beginning with the Allegory of Good Government on the north wall, the viewer is presented with a scene of effective government, conveyed through the personification of political ideals. Just above the door where the Nine would enter sits Justice, who looks above to the figure of Wisdom. In her hands, Justice has scales connected to cords that run down to the personification of Concord. The cords are joined in her hands into one rope, which she hands off to a row of figures representing the people of Siena. From there, the rope travels up to the personification of the Good Commune, who is surrounded by various virtues, such as Peace and Fortitude. In sum, Lorenzetti highlights the importance of civic participation and the political values of Sienese society.

Adjacent to this fresco on the right is the Effects of Good Government in the City and Country. In this scene, Lorenzentti combines the cityscape with that of the countryside. In the urban setting, impressive architectural details frame various human activities, such as dancing women and markets, which represent a prosperous and civil community. In the countryside, the same theme is translated into the rural region of Siena; the rolling green hills are bountiful in harvest, and commerce makes its way in and out of the city gates.

The opposite of this idyllic reality is found on the west wall in the Effects of Bad Government in the City and Country. Here, the viewer can make out a desolate, barren land alongside a crumbling city, in terms of its architecture and its social cohesion — such are the results of bad governance, as detailed in the Allegory of Bad Government (on the right end of the west wall). In contrast to the north wall, the political personifications are entirely negative. Various vices, such as Greed and Pride, surround the center devilish figure, Tyranny. Just below his throne, Justice is bound, barred from rule — a cautionary tale of autocratic rule and the antithesis of the Republic of Siena.

These dichotomous realities served as a promise and a threat to the Nine; a potent reminder that the fate of Siena rested in their hands.

-MT