Martorell and Lorenzetti

The Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti is one of the most well-known pieces of political Medieval artwork. In the piece, Lorenzetti uses allegory to outline what makes a good government and how it can positively affect the citizens, and what makes a bad government and how that can negatively impact the citizens. There is not much religious iconography within the piece, in fact, Lorenzetti made the decision to exclude the Madonna instead replacing her with Iustitia and the Common Good as the ruling figures of Siena.[1] Lorenzetti chooses to portray good government through the form of an aged king bearing the colors of the Balzana, the Sienese coat-of-arms, despite the fact that Siena was a republic, not a monarchy. Some scholars believe that it may have been meant to represent the entire Commune of Siena instead of in the classic sense of kingship. Throughout Allegory of Good and Bad Government, Lorenzetti attempts to secularize the piece. Unlike Martorell, Lorenzetti removed obvious ties of religion to politics, boiling down his allegories until there was little difficulty understanding how he believed a good government should be run.

Alongside the aged king rest the Cardinal Virtues. Lorenzetti and Martorell both include the four figures as a reminder of what qualities a good leader should have. Lorenzetti especially connects his Cardinal Virtues back to the idea of specula principum, or mirrors for princes. Without the Cardinal Virtues, the government will become nothing more than a barren, rotting place as Lorenzetti depicts on the side of bad government. For both men, Lorenzetti and Martorell, the Cardinal Virtues directly tie into their respective governments and their inclusion within the artworks that are displayed in government buildings are an especially clear reminder to their patrons to take care in their legislative decision making.