Duccio’s Maestà

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In the early Renaissance era Florence and Siena were rivals in many aspects. The Battle of Montaperti was fought between the two in September of 1260. After their triumph over Florence, Siena used the monetary winnings for the building of the Palazzo Pubblico to serve the city in governmental, spiritual and social needs; it was comparable to the basilicas in ancient Rome in this aspect. The Palazzo Pubblico (fig. 1) was also made to compete with Florence’s already constructed Palazzo della Signoria1 (fig. 2). The city also focused the new funds on the elaboration of the cathedral interior (fig. 3). In 1308, Duccio di Buoninsegna was hired for this reason. Duccio completed the requested polyptych, or multipaneled, altarpiece three years later before the townspeople paraded the Maestà from the artist’s workshop through the town and to the cathedral, its resting point for many years.

Siena, a town located in the heart of the “boot” of Italy is stationed just over forty miles south of Florence. This city claimed the Virgin Mary as their patron saint praying to her for protection and the keeping of peace. Siena’s nickname was “Vetusta Civitas Virgins” which means “The Ancient City of the Virgin.” Therefore creating Mary as the main focus of the Maestà was not even questionable in Duccio’s large-scale masterpiece. Even today, many pray to the iconography of Mary as seen in the portable Catholic rosaries of the majestic virgin. Majesty translates to Maestà in Italian. It was named this because it beheld the Virgin in majesty reflecting the high regards of Mary during that time.

Art was viewed in a different sense in the fourteenth century. It had a more active role and was not just decoration, but a vital component of worship and pr...

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...oked to the icon of the Mother of God for peace and prosperity. With the function of Byzantine manuscripts and the signature style of Duccio, the Maestà claimed its spot in Italian history.

Works Cited

Davies, Penelope J.E., Walter B. Denny, Firma Fox Hofrichter, Joseph Jacobs, Ann M. Roberts, and David L. Simon, Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition. Eighth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011.

Hartt, Frederick, and David G. Wikins. History of Italian Renaissance Art. Seventh Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007.

Schneider Adams, Laurie. Italian Renaissance Art. Colorado: Westview Press, 2001.

Stubblebine, James H., “Byzantine Sources for the Iconography of Duccio’s Maestà”.

The Art Bulletin, Vol. 57, No. 2 (Jun., 1975), pp. 176-185. (College Art Association), accessed November 17, 2010. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3049368.

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