Paolo Penko and his Masgalano

A real jewel awarded this year to the Nobil Contrada dell’Oca

The Masgalano for the 2017 Palios created by Paolo Penko and offered by Lions Club Siena on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Sienese club and 100 years of Lions International is a real jewel. It could not be otherwise for a master of goldsmith’s art, but also sculptor and designer such as Penko.

by Anita Valentini 

The Masgalano is the prize that is awarded annually to the Contrada whose Comparsa is the best in terms of elegance, dignity of bearing and coordination during the historical parades that precede the Palio in July and August. The prize usually consists of either a silver plate (bacile), as per tradition, or a sculpture and is donated, from year to year, by public and private bodies operating in the Sienese territory.

This year the sumptuous artefact was created by Paolo Penko, master goldsmith, sculptor and designer, and was offered by the Siena Lions Club to mark the 60th anniversary of the Siena club and 100 years of Lions International. Florentine by birth and Sienese by origin, the artist returned to tradition in choosing the form for the Masgalano, which he made “unique” and of great value, giving it a sculptural as well as a precious appearance.

Penko’s artistic skill has succeeded in conveying the philosophy of the Lions, the history of the city and that of the Palio in this object-symbol of the festival, working with silver and the metals that accompany it. The enamel coats of arms of the Comitato Amici del Palio, the Magistrato delle Contrade and the Comune di Siena add a touch of colour and light, enhancing the figurative elements.

In the centre of the plate we can see the emblem of the Lions Club International in relief, rendered as a classic effigy protecting the city, whose silhouette is embossed on a plate that occupies part of the plate. The cobalt blue of the coat of arms recalls the golden blue of the lapis lazuli pearls that close the edge of the plate – reminiscent of the Berbers – and alternate with the engraved names of the Contrade.

Every detail, even the smallest, has been worked as if it were a jewel and has been given a specific meaning, referring to the city and to the strong union between the Lions and Siena:

“I tried to give meaning to every part of the Masgalano, combining tradition and modernity,” says Penko. “Mine was first and foremost an act of love for Siena. I placed at the centre of the plate, starting from the Lions’ coat of arms, cartouches engraved with phrases that propose the mottos of the commissioning Club, to remind us that the objectives of the Sienese Lions are in favour of the city: the cartouches are placed on the image that recalls the bricks of Piazza del Campo and, therefore, emblematically, on the whole city. Embracing Siena, along the edge of the plate, are the names of the Contrade”.

This year the Masgalano for the 2017 Palio was won by the Nobil Contrada dell’Oca and was presented by Mayor Bruno Valentini in Piazza del Campo, in the presence of the city authorities and representatives of the contradaiole.