Most of the paintings on display in this room date to the period in Bologna’s history which stretched from the final years of the Bentivoglio family’s dominion to the beginning of the artistic reform enacted by the Carraccis: a period which encompassed much of the 16th century .
The works from the other schools overlap into the 17th century.
In the middle of the room stands Francesco Francia’s early masterpiece, the Crucifixion, which embodies the transition from the grand 15th century Ferrarese tradition to a new style, described as “sweetness of expression, and unity of colors.” According to the biographer Giorgio Vasari, Francia was the inventor and main representative of this style, along with Pietro Perugino.
Later developments in early 16th century Bolognese art may be noted in a series of paintings which mainly depict the Madonna with Child (as you enter, on the wall to the right).
These include works by the so-called “Raphaelists” Innocenzo da Imola and Girolamo da Cotignola as well as a striking painting by the eccentric Amico Aspertini.
Other works from the early 16th century include those by non-Bolognese artists Luca Signorelli from Cortona and Filippo da Verona.
This room also features an ample selection of paintings from the second half of the 16th century by artists influenced by the Mannerist tradition, including The Crucified Christ by Bartolomeo Passerotti and works by Denys Calvaert and Prospero Fontana.
The large fresco Concord and Silence by Orazio Samacchini has always been housed in the Palazzo Comunale.
The anonymous author of the Annunciation hailed from Ferrara but clearly created his work in Bologna.
This work also dates back to the last years of the 16th century.
The group of portraits on display belonged to the collection of the painter Pelagio Palagi, with the exception of the Female Lute Player and Portrait of an Elderly Woman.
Among them, the beautiful Portrait of an Elderly Man by Tintoretto stands out.
The ceiling dates to the Republican domination of Bologna (1796-1797), after the French invasion, when this apartment was completely refurbished.
Its French-style decoration has been attributed to the decorative painter Serafino Barozzi (d. 1810), who worked with the ornamentalist Francesco Santini (d. 1840), and includes revolutionary symbols such as trophies, sacrificial altars, and flags within an ample decorative structure inspired by the Bolognese tradition of "quadratura" (a branch of decorative art based upon the illusionistic representation of architectural elements).
