This hall offers the visitor numerous paintings from the entire 16th century.The most interesting in this group is certainly "Mary with Baby Jesus and saints Francesco and Sebastiano", originally in the church of S. Francesco. Experts today attribute it beyond any doubt to the Florentine painter Jacopo di Giovanni di Francesco, also called Jacone, even though in the past there was some doubt with tradition attributing it to Pontormo. Its affinity to the style of this latter painter (the florentine master, Pontormo) is evident, and it is an excellent example of the drammatic expressionism which the Florentine school had brought to perfection around mid 16th century. In comparison, the late work of Raffaellino del Colle, "The Presentation of Mary in the Temple", originally in the church of S. Maria delle Grazie, appears extremely superficial. It dates from 1560 and is fully in the style of Vasari, to the point of having borrowed figures painted by Vasari in his house at Arezzo. It is a quite typical example of the mediocre mannerism prevalent in that period.
A painting to consider now is "The Laying of Hands" by the Florentine painter Santi di Tito. It is a pannel originally painted for the church of the Carità and depicts Peter and John laying hands. Its style is calm and austere with an abundance of naturalistic elements. It is a fine example of reformed mannerism influenced by post-tridentine concepts. Though not bearing any date, its style characteristics would set it around 1580. Upon completion of its restoration, the enormous canvas painted by the florentine artist Gregorio Pagani depicting "Mary with Baby Jesus Adored by Angels and Saints" will be on exhibition in this hall. Completed in 1597, its style conforms to the rigid retoric characteristic of the Counter-reform period, far removed from the tension and elegance of the manneristic language. Along with these central works, in the hall there are also some small paintings from Florence and Siena that represent on a modest level the styles set by the most influential painters of the first half of the 16th century - Beccafumi, Sodoma, Andrea del Sarto, etc