DEVELOPMENT BUILD — NOT FOR PUBLIC USE. CONTRIBUTE ON GITHUB.
CURRENT LOCATION · Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Siena)
03 — ARTWORK
DUCCIO di Buoninsegna · 1311 →
PALETTE
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COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
The Madonna appears on the panelTerm in painting for a support of wood, metal, or other rigid substance, as distinct from canvas. Until the adoption of canvas in the 15th century nearly all the movable paintings of Europe were executed on wood, and even up to the beginning of the 17th century it is probable that as much painting was done on the one support as on the other. Painters who worked on a small scale often used copper panels (Elsheimer is a leading example), and in the colonial art of South America copper and tin and even lead and zinc were used. On a larger scale, slate has occasionally been used as a support, notably by Rubens for his altarpiece for Sta Maria in Vallicella (the Chiesa Nuova) in Rome; the picture he originally painted was said to reflect the light unpleasantly and slate was used for the replacement to produce a more matt finish. For wood panels the Italian masters of the Renaissance preferred white poplar, while oak was the most common wood used in northern Europe. Many other types were used, however; analysis of the contents of art galleries has yielded a long list, including beech, cedar, chestnut, fir, larch, linden, mahogany, olive, and walnut. In the 20th century cedar, teak, and dark walnut are favourites, and modern painters have also used plywood, fibre-board, and other synthetic materials as supports. as the Queen of the Heaven and Siena. In the foreground the four patron saints of Siena are kneeling: Sts Ansanus, Savinus, Crescentius and Victor. The Latin inscription on the basemolded foot of a pillar or column providing the transition from the plinth to the shaft. of the throne contains the name of the painter.
The movements of the heavenly court are articulated with subtle symmetry: the characters surrounding the Virgin are divided into two ranks by the throne, which is the central axis of the entire composition. The mirror-like correspondence of the two sides is broken up by tiny details (the gestures of the saints or the glance of an angel).
Next to the angels, from left to right, are saints Catherine of Alexandria, Paul, John the Evangelist (left side), John the Baptist, Peter, and Agnes (right side), recognizable by their symbols and names painted on the lower edge (the inscriptions are missing only for Paul and Peter). On the bottom row are the four patron saints, also identifiable by their names: Ansano, baptizer of the Sienese and decapitated in the Val d'Arbia in the fourth century; Savino, a martyred bishop (left side); Crescenzio, a boy martyred under Diocletian, whose remains were transferred to the CathedralThe principal church of a province or diocese, where the throne of the bishop is placed. For reasons lost to time and tradition, a cathedral always faces west - toward the setting sun. The altar is placed at the east end. The main body, or nave, of the cathedral is usually divided into one main and two side aisles. These lead up to the north and south transepts, or arms of the cross, the shape in which a cathedral is usually formed. in 1058; Victor, a Christian soldier, native of Syria, proclaimed patron after 1288 (right side).
Above, in little arches whose frames have been lost, are the apostles distinguished by their abbreviated names against the gold background. Again from left, they are, Thaddeus, Simon, Philip, James the Great, Andrew (left side), Matthew, James the Less, Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthias (right side). The use of gold as a precious complement to the glorification of Mary is essential. The background, the haloes, the garments of the Child, of Catherine, Savino, and Agnes, the cloth covering the back of the throne and the Cosmatesque inlays of the latter, all dazzle the onlooker with their splendid glitter. The fabric of the garments and the backcloth axe embroidered with a continuous small golden pattern which gives the effect of real material. Little space is left for the use of other colours.
@online{wga-rd6660552851994,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Maestà (Madonna with Angels and Saints) by DUCCIO di Buoninsegna},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-14},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/duccio-di-buoninsegna-r4fad75d6f780f9/maest-madonna-with-angels-and-saints-rd6660552851994},
urldate = {2026-09-14},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-14. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.