Conferral of the Flag of Siena

The ceremony of the presentation of the banner takes place in a city square, in front of a church. The armoured commander, accompanied by horsemen—perhaps a condottiere in the service of Siena—hands the black-and-white banner of Siena to a civic official dressed in a long mantle. Among the members of the two accompanying groups—whose clothing may provide one point of departure for identifying the scene—some observe the event, while others turn towards one another and comment on what is taking place. The Presentation of the Banner may originally have been a painting set into the wooden panelling of a room, and belonged to a series of which the following four pieces also survive: The Homage of an Envoy before a Ruler (J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, California), A Commander Visiting the Ruler (London, Thos. Agnew and Sons), The Arrival of the Ruler — or Commander? — in Siena (Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia), and Battle Scene — or Tournament? — before the Gates of Siena (formerly Paris, Salvin Collection; auctioned at Palais Galliera, 5 December 1973, lot 38).

(Tátrai Vilmos, 1993)

According to Sallay (2015), the scene comes from the side of a Sienese marriage chest (cassone) and belongs to a series. The setting is the Piazza Tolomei in Siena, where the two groups of men meet in front of the church of San Cristoforo.

Provenance

Arnold Ipolyi’s purchase from the Ramboux estate in Cologne, 1867

Bibliography

• Sallay, Dóra: Corpus of Sienese Paintings in Hungary, 1420–1510. Florence, Centro Di, 2015,127-125, kat. 8. (teljes irodalomjegyzékkel)
• Ipolyi Arnold Emlékkönyve. Halálának századik évfordulója alkalmából az Esztergomi Keresztény Múzeumban 1986. december 12-én rendezett emlékülés. Szent István Társulat, Budapest,1989. 104.
• https://provincedesienne.com/2023/07/11/lorenzo-di-pietro-dit-il-vecchietta-siena-zaszlojanak-atadasa/
• Cséfalvay Pál, szerk.: Keresztény Múzeum, Esztergom. Budapest, 1993. 2030-231, 102. (Tátrai Vilmos)
• Boskovits 1978, 11-12. képleírás
• Mucsi 1975 , 41;
• Paintings by Old Masters 4 June -— 5 July 1974- Thos. Agneut and Sons Ltd. London, 1974. Kat. sz. 3;
• Mucsi 1973, 14;
• Renaissance Painting in Tuscany, 1300-J500. London, 1973. 16. sz. Fermoy Art Gallery, King's Lynn;
• Nicobon, B.: Tuscan Painting at King's Lynn. The Burlington Magazine 1973, 621;
• Boskovits 1968, 11, 12. képleírás;
• Boskovits-Mojzer-Mucsi 1967, 46;
• Boskovits-Mojzer-Mucsi 1964, 52;