Abitare il Rinascimento.

The exhibition, hosted in the rooms of Palazzo delle Papesse from May 22 to November 1, 2026, a Renaissance residence once owned by Caterina Piccolomini, sister of Pope Pius II, documents, through more than eighty works, the prolific production of domestic art that developed in Siena between the 15th and 16th centuries. Furnishings such as chests, headboards, beds, headboards, textiles, and ornaments will be the focus of a journey that aims to restore the richness and variety of a figurative culture intended to adorn living spaces. These objects, once an integral part of the furnishings of noble residences, are now dispersed and preserved in Italian and foreign museums, where their original function is not always immediately recognizable: decontextualized, they often appear as simple paintings hung on the walls of galleries. This innovative exhibition concept goes beyond simply presenting a selection of significant works from the Sienese School to the public, aiming to recreate the domestic setting for which they were conceived, restoring them, as far as possible, to their original purpose. It will also be possible to follow an artistic itinerary that takes into account the artists of the Sienese School and their efficient workshops, including Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Benvenuto di Giovanni, Bernardino Fungai, Girolamo del Pacchia, Domenico Beccafumi, Andrea Piccinelli, known as Brescianino, and others.

“Living the Renaissance” features numerous loans from Italian and international institutions and museums, including Banca Monte dei Paschi (some works are held in the Chigi-Saracini Collection), the Monte dei Paschi Foundation, the Opera della Metropolitana di Siena, the Archdiocese of Siena, Colle Val d’Elsa, and Montalcino, the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena, the Society of Executors of Pious Dispositions, the Diocesan Museum of Pienza, the Stibbert Museum in Florence, the Bargello Museum in Florence, the Musée du Petit Palais – Musée du Louvre en Avignon, and private collectors. Numerous restorations were carried out by prestigious laboratories, restoring numerous panels and furnishings to their original splendor. Produced by Opera Laboratori and the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation with the instrumental company Vernice Progetti, the exhibition is curated by Marilena Caciorgna and Laura Bonelli. The catalogue is published by Sillabe.