Romanian Artist Teodora Axente Paints the Prize Banner for Siena's Historic Palio Horse Race
On 10 August 2026, in the Cortile del Podestà in Siena, the Romanian artist Teodora Axente unveiled her design for the drappellone — the hand-painted silk banner that serves as the prize in the Palio di Siena, one of Italy's oldest and most fiercely contested horse races. The banner will be awarded to the winner of the Palio dell'Assunta, the race held on 16 August, and will then enter the museum collection of whichever contrada, or historic district, takes the victory.
The Comune di Siena, the city's municipal government, appoints an artist each year to paint the drappellone: a rectangular piece of silk mounted on a black-and-white wooden pole. Axente's version depicts the Virgin Mary at the apex of a pyramidal structure, looking over the Golden Rose — a gift that Pope Pius II bestowed upon Siena in the 15th century. Below, the Siena skyline unfolds with recognisable landmarks: the Palazzo Pubblico, the Torre del Mangia and the Duomo. The banner is painted in vivid, luminous colours, according to Italian public broadcaster RAİ, which described the palette as "accesi" — intense, bright. The Comune di Siena said the design evokes the Battle of Camollia of 1526, in which Siena defeated Florence; this year's Palio marks the 500th anniversary of that conflict.
Axente, who is based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, received the silk fabric and loom at her studio in April, delivered by Michelina Eremita, the director of the Museo Civico di Siena. The municipal council had confirmed Axente's commission in January 2026, alongside Ismaele Nones, who painted the drappellone for the July Palio. Axente is listed on the official Palio di Siena register of drappellone painters for the 16 August race.
Presenting the banner was Riccardo Freddo, head of museums and institutional relations at Gallery Rosenfeld, the London-based gallery that represents Axente. At 33, Freddo is the youngest person ever to present a drappellone in Sienese history, according to The Art Newspaper.
The Sienese municipality's choice of Axente places her in a lineage of international artists invited to paint the banner. Previous designers include Jim Dine in 2000 and Fernando Botero in 2002 — names better known to the global art market than to the residents who pack the Piazza del Campo each summer.
Two exhibitions of Axente's work are running alongside the Palio. One, at Santa Maria della Scala in Siena, has been extended until 30 August. Another, at the Museo Civico di Siena, runs until 27 September and is curated by Freddo and Eremita; it places Axente's paintings beside Ambrogio Lorenzetti's 14th-century fresco cycle The Allegory and Effects of Good and Bad Government (1338–1339), one of the most celebrated works of medieval civic art. Axente is also due to present an institutional show in France in 2027 and another major exhibition in Venice in 2028.
For now, the banner's fate depends on ten horses, ten jockeys and roughly 90 seconds of unbridled competition around the Piazza del Campo. The winning contrada will carry the silk home to its museum — and Axente's work will belong to Siena's city, not its art market.
