The Sala del Capitano

AT FIRST GLANCE

Sala del Capitano del Popolo is dedicated to Guglielmo Boccanegra, Captain of the People, who entrusted Friar Oliverio with the construction of Palazzo San Giorgio in 1260. Before the 20th-century restoration, Sala del Capitano was divided into three separate spaces. It is the result of a reinterpretation of the entire volume of the palace by Alfredo D’Andrade, who was in charge of the restoration of the building.

The polychromy of the ceramic chosen by D’Andrade reproduces ancient Genoese motifs. The statues of the benefactors of the Bank of Saint George are in the centre, inside painted niches (only one of which is made of marble). The ceiling of the room is made of wood, with recurring joists, carved and painted red. The room is completed by a large wooden table and two bronze chandeliers that are a copy of an original 14th-century chandelier kept in the Church of Saint George in Castiglione Olona.

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Discovering the Sala del Capitano

In Sala del Capitano, the statues of the deserving members of the Bank of Saint Georgeare placed along the walls in the following order, from the right:

Luciano Grimaldi by Antonio Della Porta, a.k.a. Tamagnino (1479), Eliano Carocci of the San Luca Spinolas (sitting statue) by Alessandro Scala da Carona (1533).

Eight plaques dated from 1432 to 1475, dedicated to various benefactors, are found near the corners of the walls: Brancaleone Doria, G. Spinola, Agostino and Giovanni De Mari, Andrea Doria, Ottaviano Grimaldi, Antonio Luciano and Raffaele Spinola. All of them feature the coats of arms of the respective families. The statues by famous sculptor Michele D’Aria are arranged between the windows of the east wall and depict Luciano Spinola (1473), Francesco Vivaldi (1473), famous for inventing the concept of compound interest, and Domenico Pastine. Other six plaques are found on the walls, two of which are golden. One of them is dedicated to Ottaviano Fregoso.

The north wall features Francesco Lomellino (1509) by Pace Gaggini and Antonio Doria (1509) by Tamagnino.

The west wall features Melchiorre Negrone (1572) by Battista Perollo and Ambrogio Di Negro (1490), commissioner of the Bank of Saint Georgein Corsica, by Michele D’Aria.