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Palazzetto Baviera is a building in Senigallia, in the province of Ancona.

History

Palazzetto Baviera is located in Piazza del Duca, and it occupies the right side of the river.

The building was built in the 14th century and subsequently was readjusted in the second half of the following century, when Giovanni Giacomo Baviera settled there. In 1474 Pope Sixtus IV sent Giovanni Giacomo Baviera to Senigallia to take possession of the Rocca in the name of his grandson, Giovanni della Rovere, appointed new lord of the city. Baviera arrived in Senigallia on 23rd October of the same year and he was welcomed by the people with great kindness , in fact they spontaneously handed him the keys of the city. He decided to establish his residence in the Palazzetto, which results to be the only building left to witness the power and importance of the family.

Originally, in fact, on the opposite side of the square stood another lordly building belonging to Baviera, which it was probably demolished in the 18th century. The Palazzetto Baviera was considerably damaged due to the earthquake, of the VIII-IX degree of the Mercalli scale, which struck Senigallia and its surroundings on the morning of 30th October 1930. This aggravated the already precarious situation of the building, as witnessed by Cesare Selvelli who listed the damages incurred by the building.

The artistic value of the putty by Federico Brandani in the 16th century in some rooms on the upper floor, was therefore decisive in the decision to preserve the Palazzetto from demolition. The restoration of the building began in the years 1931-1932 by the construction company Remo Morpurgo, while the putty were entrusted to the sculptor Alberto Moroni of Perugia, who began his work starting from the hall of Ilium, because it was the most damaged. In 1951 new works of restoration of the artistic ceilings roofs and floors were made . In 2016, thanks to a contribution of thirty-five thousand euros paid by the art bonus, there was the reconstruction of Brandani's stucco roofs.

Description

Front of the building

The building presents a structure not particularly high and an elegant harmony .The actual aspect of the building is the result of the numerous restoration works executed following the earthquake of 1930 and that have given to the parish a typical Renaissance feature. In fact the number and position of doors and windows in the front  was changed. Also the four side doors  were eliminated and the windows of the first floor were reduced.

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Inner courtyard

The Inner court yard is surrounded by a slight portico with arches, supported by white columns. At  the centre there is a refined round cockpit decorated with four Bavarian coats of arms. The courtyard was indispensable to safeguard the life of the noble family because the palace was facing on Piazza del Duca that was destined for military use.

Ground floor

The ground floor of the Palazzetto is occupied by offices, stores and two exhibition rooms famous for the beautiful painted coffered ceilings. Then there is another local, decentralised from the main structure, but always connected/communicating,used as a conference hall.

First floor

To the left of the main entrance a staircase leads to the upper floor of the building, renowned for the painted wooden coffered ceilings. Where the stucco rooms are situated, which is accessed from a large hall in which stands out the coat of arms of Bavaria. The last were the works of Federico Brandani which came to Senigallia from Urbino in 1560 to decorate five rooms of the palace:the Hall of the Old Testament, the Hall of Hercules, the Hall of Ilium or Iliad, the Hall of Republican Rome and the Hall of Imperial Rome.

First room

The room of Old Testament was probably a kind of small chapel in structure. In fact it is a small setting, situated apart from the other rooms , it is used as a place of prayer and is the only room whose ceilings are decorated with sacred subjects. The artist Brandani represented the most significant episodes of the Old Testament  to describe the“salvation history” of humanity. The most important episode, Creation, occupies the central part of the ceiling; In the two lateral ovals the expulsion from Paradise of Adam and Eve and the first murder is represented.

Creation

The scene is divided into three parts. At the centre God creates animals and plants; on the left the man and the woman; on the top, on the left, the mountains and the water; on the right, The forbidden tree with Adam and Eve at its feet and the serpent in the form of a human torso between the branches; above, the Moon.

The expulsion from Paradise

The landscape is rich in vegetation; a winged angel, holding a sword with his right hand, casts out a gesture of the left hand, Adam and Eve who, naked, walk towards the right of the scene.

Cain and Abel

At the center of a wooded landscape Cain grabs Abel’s hair, who lies to the ground on his knees and he points a knee at her shoulder. Cain’s right hand is already raised to take the terminal shot with the club he grips.

Moses receives the Tables of the Ten Commandments

the arms of God outstretched out from a cloud from which even rays of sun come out,  handed Moses the tables of the Ten Commandments. Moses, on his knees, stretches his arms upwards to receive them.

Joseph led by Pharaoh to interpret dreams

The Pharaoh, surrounded by his high officials, sits under a canopy in front of the temple, situated on top of a small staircase.At the foot of the latter appears Joseph led by the Pharaoh by two characters who hold him by the arms.

The blessing fall

The scene takes place on three horizontal planes; The upper part  is occupied by the sky, from which the blessing  falls. The middle and lower parts are occupied by” the children of Israel”who collect blessing.

Isaac blesses the younger son Jacob while the eldest son returns from the hunt, Esau

Isaac is lying on the bed that is represented outside the palace To the right of the bed, Rebecca invites Isaac to bless Jacob as he approaches his father along the other side of the bed.

The second plague of Egypt: the frogs

Moses and Aaron look at the ground covered with frogs. In the background there is the Pharaoh’s palace. A man looks out from the curtain and calls the two brothers.

Jacob blesses Efrain and Manasseh, sons of Joseph

Jacob sits in the bed which, as in the previous scene is outside the palace in the background, blesses Efrain and Manasse. At the foot of the bed Joseph assisted the scene upset by his father’s mistake. On the right, some characters assist and comment on Jacob’s prediction.

Abraham is ready to sacrifice Isaac

At the bottom left Abraham and Isaac head with the donkey to the mountains. High on the right, the father raises his sword to sacrifice his son, but the intervention of an angel stops his arm.

Joseph explains to Pharaoh the dream of the seven fat cows and the seven lean cows

Pharaoh listens to the interpretation of the dream by Joseph. Below, both right and left, there are the seven fat cows and the seven lean cows.

Joseph is dragged into the well by his brothers

In the background there is a landscape characterised by a small portion of sky, mountain peaks and a village. In the foreground is located, instead, the mouth of a cistern next to which Joseph  lies in the ground The brothers surround him in the act of attacking him to throw him down the well.

The Tower of Babel

The tower, supported by columns, screws towards the sky and ends in the form of a pavilion. At the bottom, all around, masters, masons and labourers are busy.

Abraham visited by the Angels On the left are the three angels

From the central line the head of the Lord appears and His arm stretched out towards Abraham. Down to the right, Abraham, on his knees, stretches out his hands toward the Eternal One; on the top is the temple.

The universal flood

High up there are trees and mountain reliefs. everything else in the scene is invaded by the waters of the flood in which men and animals are desperately agitated. In the center there is a boat, perhaps the Ark of Salvation, from whose side someone tries to lean a ladder in a desperate attempt to find refuge.

Second room

The theme developed in this room is that of the labours of Hercules. In the centre of the room there is the oval with Mother Earth, flanked by four representations that

reproduce the seasons of the year. Above the lunettes where the labours are found, there are ovals inside in which are represented several allegorical figures.

In the ceiling:

• Mother Earth

• Spring

• Summer

• Autumn

• Winter

In the walls:

The wild boar Erimantius

The hero is modelled in the act of hitting with the club the boar.

The Nemeon liers

Ercole, after having laid the club, faces the bloody beast and grabs its jaws to smash them.

Hercules kills the dragon guarding the garden of the Hesperides

The hero, naked, laid the skin of the enemy lion at the foot of the tree on the right of the scene, grabs the dragon that tries to wrap it in its strong coils.

Ercole choke Ateneo

Anteum is raised from the ground and tightened with force to the chest, until it is suffocated. On the right, on the branches of a tree, hangs the skin of the enemy lion.

The hydra of lerna

On the left is represented the hero who wields a club while on the right the monstrous hydra with nine heads hurls at him.

Deianira

The line marked by the river Eveno obliquely halve the bezel. While on the left is the centaur that kidnaps the beautiful Deianira riding between the waves; on the right is represented Hercules in the act of hurling the deadly dart against the centaur.

Hercules kills Caco

Hercules and Caco occupy the central part of the bezel. The hero overhangs the thief lying half-lying and tries to defend himself with the left arm from the terrible strike of the club which is about to fall upon him. The left side is occupied by a thick thicket, while on the right one of the stolen oxen faces a cave.

The Cretan bull

In the center is the hero who, after having stuck to the ground the bull, presses on his back with his left knee while he grabs him by the horns with his arms and bends his head back.

Hercules file the lane

Hercules lining the wool is depicted sitting on a spur of the ground with the chest in front position and the legs arranged in profile. The background is adorned with trees.

Hercules holds the world on his shoulders

Hercules, against the empty background of sidereal space, rests his left knee on the ground and holds the earth’s globe wrapped by the Equator on his shoulders.

The capture of Cerberus

Hercules is depicted as he raises up the club to knock out Cerberus, the three-headed dog; that barks angrily in front of him.

Hercules carries the columns

On the left of the bezel is the coast. At the centre, instead, is Hercules carrying two columns, one per shoulder, slightly spaced to form a“x”. In front of the hero the open sea stretches.

Third room

The third room, or that of the Iliad, is the largest and brightest room, and therefore the main representative room of the family. It is of greater artistic interest since it is the vivid representation of the Homeric text. In the center of the ceiling a panel depicts a Renaissance hunting scene, surrounded by angular ovals and medallions that tell the end of the war.

In the ceiling:

Hunting scene

Fall from the horse

On the left there is the wooden horse ridden by a warrior. At his feet there is a figure gathered about itself because it has just fallen; another one, standing,  helps a partner to get out of the horse's side. On the right the clash between the Achaeans and the Trojans has just begun. In the background, finally, the stylised flames allude to the city fire.

The sons of the Achaeans destroyed the city

the Greek warriors load the just conquered loot on ships. In the background the city of Troy is set on fire by the Achaeans, who have managed to cross the Scee doors thanks to the stratagem of the wooden horse.

Laocoon

Laocoonte is in the center with the two children on the sides; all three of them  are about to be suffocated from Apollo's snakes.

Carrying the father on the shoulders

Aeneas run away from Troy on fire  with the son Astyanax by the hand and the father Anchises on the shoulders. On the left there is the old forsaken temple of Ceres.

He cut off the head of the old

the scene represents Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, while he cuts off the head of Priam. The king of Troy is at the foot of the altar of Zeus, next to which stands a sacred laurel. On the left lies Polite dead, Priam's son, who was also killed by Neoptolemus. On the right, finally, there is Ecuba which is supported by a daughter.

They stole Palladio

Diomede (or Ulysses) is moving away from the temple in which he stole Palladio, carrying the statue on his shoulders.

In the walls:

Judgment of Paride

Paride holds a stick with his left hand and holds the apple to Venus with his right hand. Behind her, Giunone, naked and turned, she is dressing, while Athena, with the peacock at her feet, an animal sacred to her, is consoled by Hermes, the god who accompanied the three goddesses on the mountain for the judgment of Paride.

Paride kidnaps Elena

In the center, Elena resists Paride, who tries to take her on a ship. In the left group the man with the sword in his hand could be Menelaus, who tries to save himself from some Trojans. In the background there is a temple, in which a statue is visible.

He called the army to the convocation

Agamemnon waits for the army to rally. Achilles carries some soldiers with him. To the right there is the fortune-teller Calcante, who will explain the cause of the pestilence that for nine days has affected men and animals in the Achaean camp.

At the looms handling the sound shuttle

A group of men advances from the right, bringing presents to a woman surrounded by other young women. On the left there is a kneeling girl who raises a cornucopia, while from above two girls are carrying clean clothes on their arms.

They came under Ilio

Is represented the Achaean fleet on Troy; men get off the ships on horseback, others follow them. In the background is Troia, protected by its walls, on which the Scee doors open.

He stretched his white arms around his dear son

In the central part of the scene Aphrodite protects her son Enea by embracing him. In the background there is the battle between the Achaeans and the Trojans, in front of the city walls.

From the killed Hector lay the brave Protesilaus

It is a clash of soldiers that is partly on foot, partly on horseback. on the left is the figure of a warrior, Protesilaus, who is about to be hit.

The Pelide killed the son of Priam, similar to the gods in beauty

Achilles is on the cart and Ettore is in front of him. Behind Achilles is the goddess Athena, who will help him hit the Trojan hero.

Achilles pierces Hector's tendons to drag the corpse

Ettore's body lies on the ground. Achilles has just lifted a leg to pierce his tendons, while some warriors look. Battle scene there are soldiers on horseback. Their rivals are on foot: some are dead, some are injured.

To free Hector from you, I bring infinite gifts

Priam asks for the delivery of the body of his son Hector to Achilles. In the foreground are represented the two protagonists; Priamo kneeling and Achilles standing before him, at their feet lies Ettore dead. In the background, there are camp tents.

Paride kills Achilles

Paride comes out of the temple of Apollo, where he strikes Achilles, who falls on the steps. Below, to the left, two men reach him (probably are Ajax and Ulysses) to take away the dead body. High up a man indicates the killing to some women (perhaps between these is Polissena, the daughter of Priamo).

Laocoon invites his partners to destroy the horse

the horse is outside the city walls. Laocoon orders his partners to destroy it, but these seem incredulous.

The Trojans drag the horse on the Acropolis

the wooden horse is pulled hard on the Acropolis. In the saddle there is a soldier holding a sword; in the background there is the city of Troy.

Bibliography

• Marinella Bonvini Mazzanti, Senigallia, Urbino, Quattro venti, 1998
• Beatrice Ruggeri, Il ramo senigalliese della famiglia Baviera : mecenatismo e collezionismo, Ostra Vetere, Tecnostampa, 2007
• Isabella Antonietti e Camillo Nardini, I soffitti del Palazzetto Baviera: Federico Brandani a Senigallia, Senigallia, 1995