The good and the evil leadership
This is a small part of the wonderful frescos covering the wall of the Sala dei Nove inPalazzo Publico, in the beautiful city of Sienna. Ambrogio Lorenzetti has painted it between 1337 and 1339. The lords of the city commissioned the artist to dramatise leadership virtues as well as anti-virtues and how they affect the life of the citizens and their businesses. In this sense, the frescos are a thorough book in Leadership.
In this particular part, we see the figure of Justice on her throne under the inscription: diligite iustitiam qui iudicatis terram (love justice, you who govern the world). She is looking at another figure above her head: sapientia, the wisdom, holding the Liber Sapientiae and the balance. Two angels are seen on each side of the Balancea. On the left-hand side, one citizen is being punished by the sword whilst the other is rewarded by the crown, thus, the Justitia distributiva, the commanding and rewarding authority. On the right-hand side, two other citizens are given the sword and the stick, the two symbols of executive power, Justitia commutativa. A rope runs from the balance and to the hands of the third figure under Justitia. It is Concordia, the instrument of equality and conflict resolution, transmitting the rope of co-ordination and commitment to the 24 representatives of the city.