The Civic Museums house a vast medieval section.

Since 1988, late medieval frescoes from Piacenza churches and surrounding places of worship have been on display in Room 6 on the mezzanine floor.
The frescoes, torn from their original location, come mostly from the chapel of Santa Caterina and the northern apse of the deconsecrated church of San Lorenzo in Piacenza; from the former refectory of Santa Chiara in Piacenza and from the chapel of the castle of Pontenure (PC).

Fresco cycle of the Chapel of Santa Caterina

Fresco cycle from the Chapel of Santa Caterina - Master of Santa Caterina - Late 14th century
Provenance: church of San Lorenzo, left apse.

The frescoes come from the church of San Lorenzo, specifically from one of the chapels along the left nave, dedicated to Saint Catherine, and from the apse of the same nave.
The church was built in the 12th century, then rebuilt in the second half of the 13th century. Over the centuries, the place of worship underwent profound transformations and changes from its original function (from church to warehouse to refuge). The medieval paintings resurfaced when the vault of the chapel of Santa Caterina collapsed in 1958. In 1960, restoration work began on the frescoes, which were finally relocated to this room of the museum in 1988.
The dating should be traced back to the last two decades of the fourteenth century.
The cycle displays characteristics of sophisticated refinement and elegance in the facial features, the refined color palette, and the draperies, which have led to the belief that a single master worked on the chapel and the apse. The craftsmen who worked on this church also worked at the Visconti court, thus suggesting the existence of a Lombard master, belonging to the circle of Giovannino de' Grassi (1350-1398), conventionally called the "Master of Santa Caterina," who worked on this cycle and on the other frescoes in the church, in which a similar stylistic signature is found, combined with a coherent and unified iconographic program.
The frescoes in the chapel of Saint Catherine depict: Catherine receiving the Knights, Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine, Dispute of Saint Catherine with the Philosophers, Saint Catherine in Prison, Torture on the Wheel, Saint Catherine Encourages the Christians, Funeral of the Empress, Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, Beheading of Saint Catherine, Emperor Maximus interrogates Porphyry and has him beheaded, Transport of the body of Saint Catherine to Sinai.

Coronation of the Virgin and Trinity

Coronation of the Virgin and Trinity - Bartolomeo and Jacopino da Reggio - 1355-60 - Fresco, 241 x 312 cm
Provenance: church of San Lorenzo, presbytery.

The fresco is divided into two sections by a diamond-patterned frame: on the left is the Trinity, which is very fragmentary; on the right, Christ crowns the Virgin, seated on a wooden throne flanked by four angels, two of whom hold a portable organ and a psalter. Critics had attributed these frescoes to an artist influenced by Altichiero, and Gibbs noted the similarity between the polychrome diamond-patterned decoration of this fresco and the similar ornamentation found in Tommaso da Modena's Madonna of Fidenza. Currently, the frescoes are attributed to Bartolomeo and Jacopino da Reggio.

Celebration of the Mass

Celebration of the Mass - Bartolomeo and Jacopino da Reggio - ca. 1350 - Fresco, 211 x 262 cm
Provenance: church of San Lorenzo, presbytery.

This fresco was placed opposite the one depicting the Coronation of the Virgin and the Trinity, so it is assumed that both were painted by the same artists, Bartolomeo and Jacopino da Reggio. The fresco is very fragmentary, but what is visible is an Augustinian friar celebrating a religious service before an altar surmounted by a spire-shaped polyptych, while behind him a group of onlookers are discussing among themselves and some friars are singing; all in an atmosphere of captivating curiosity and wonder. Critics have emphasized the similarities with the works of Tommaso da Modena.

Translated by AI

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