Room 10

The two enormous mural paintings with the Majesty and the Militant Justice on today’s entrance wall were commissioned at the beginning of the 15th century, within a few months. The coats of arms there depicted refer to Niccolò da Uzzano and Brunetto Aldobrandini, two Podestà (chief magistrates) in charge in 1415. The Militant Justice was attributed by Claudio Cerretelli to Arrigo di Niccolò and shows a complex iconographic project with a central main figure surrounded by a vegetal decorative pattern alternating with six tondi representing virtues, all overcome by heraldic arms: the Anjou lilies, the symbol of Florence (a red lily on a white field), that of the Florentine Popolo (a red cross on a white field) and the arm of the Parte Guelfa (a red eagle clutching a dragon).

The Madonna with the Child between St Stephen and St John the Baptist dates 1416, the end of Brunetto Aldobrandini’s mandate, and was painted by Pietro di Miniato probably collaborating with his brother Antonio.

In the first half of the 15th century the two Florentine artists established a flourishing workshop especially dedicated to mural painting in Prato, as many surviving paintings in the city attest: on the ground floor in Palazzo Pretorio Museum is the fresco titled The city of Prato with St Stephen, St John the Baptist and the benefactors Francesco di Marco Datini and Michele and, on the first floor, is their polyptych depicting the Coronation of the Virgin.

Throughout the 15th century the chamber was decorated with coats of arms and standards, some of which painted by Filippo Lippi, like that of Podestà Francesco Sacchetti in 1463.

According to Gaetano Guasti, Fra’ Diamante too took part in the decoration of Podestà Francesco Mellini’s heraldic arm painted in 1462 on the new entrance wall, mentioned by the literary sources because of the beauty of the two lions flanking the emblem.
Even though the 14th century decoration was still visible, the custom of painting coats of arms and mottoes encouraging to good administration survived throughout the 16th century. At that time the chamber’s walls juxtaposed the ancient mural decoration with panel paintings and canvases: among them is Raffaellino del Garbo’s tondo Madonna with the Child and the young St John the Baptist, bought in Florence in 1558 and now preserved in Palazzo Pretorio Museum.

Tapestries, Medici family emblems and insignia of the Municipality and of the Ceppi institution were hung on the long walls, together with the series of portraits.

In addition to the portraits, during the 17th century new paintings found their place into this room, such as the two by Mario Balassi with St Dominic and St Joseph, painted between 1656 and 1657 (after Prato was given the title of “city” in 1653) and at present displayed in Palazzo Pretorio.

The painted frieze on the four walls dates 1870-1872 and is the work of Pietro Pezzati and his collaborators Eustachio Turchini and Santo Varni. Their patrons - namely the major and the council - decided thus to destroy the previous baroque decoration, painted by Paolo di Vincenzo Lippi in 1675, that celebrated the Medici Grand Dukes and the good administration with allegories and views of Prato.

The evident aim of the neo-16th century frieze is the glorification of Prato, whose emblem stands out in the middle of the chamber’s main wall, supported by Science and Industry, next to pairs of puttos helding Prato’s coats of arms. Along the sides are many other puttos alternating with chimeras, all bearing the insignia of the city’s charitable institutions, from the Misericordia e Dolce Hospital to the Magnolfi Institute.

The collection of portraits is the heart of the Palace’s iconographic gathering. It was born to celebrate the memory of Prato’s illustrious men, like a sort of gallery of illustrious examples to follow, and developed including the portraits of the sovereigns, emphasizing the concept of history as a source for learning civic and moral valours. The whole characters portrayed, even though they are of different periods, are coherent in their appearance and express a common educational intent.

The ancient group of the Benefactors was initially formed by eleven paintings: in parallel to the collection of the sovereigns, it grew in time.
Their stance is always alike: they are portrayed standing and full figure, according to a scheme which repeats to reinforce the historical and moral meaning. These portraits represented a source of pride for the civic community, who specifically commissioned them for this chamber.

The first group’s only surviving painting in the room is the portrait of Cardinal Niccolò, painted in 1510 by Tommaso di Piero. The same artist in 1490 portrayed Francesco di Marco Datini and Monte Pugliesi too, but these paintings were moved from the Council Chamber to Datini Palace in 1817, in exchange for other two portraits painted by Ludovico Buti. These are the portrait of Francesco di Marco Datini, now displayed in the Museum, and Cardinal Ferdinand I de’ Medici, here hanging: both date 1588 and were painted for the Ceppi confraternity.

Among the later portrayed Benefactor is Pier Francesco Riccio, Cosimo I’s majordomo, painted by Giovan Battista Naldini in 1572 in a severe and impressive stance.

Medici family portraits – from Cosimo I to Gian Gaston – belong to the second nucleus. They are depicted all equally: life-sized, sitting and full figure with the face three-quarters, following a popular model already used by Giorgio Vasari.

The Grand Dukes’ portraits too were commissioned by the Municipality to celebrate the new sovereigns, whose effigies symbolically dominated from above the space devoted to the city politics. Zanobi Poggini’s Portrait of Cosimo I de’Medici, with the wonderful Florentine dome in the background, dating 1555-1557, is particularly interesting. Maso da San Friano painted in 1570 the fine portrait of Cosimo’s son Francis I de’ Medici – the original canvas is displayed on the second floor in Palazzo Pretorio Museum – with the small allegorical statuette bearing Prato’s emblem and the signs of the crown and the sceptre.

His brother Ferdinand I was portrayed twice, first wearing his cardinal’s clothing (as already mentioned, by Ludovico Buti), then as a prince: Santi di Tito painted the Grand Duke Ferdinand I’s portrait in 1588, when the Municipality also commissioned the precious silver manufact called Mazza del Gonfaloniere preserved in Palazzo Pretorio Museum.