Duccio : the Maestáa

A study of Duccio's Maesta (Virgin in Majesty). The Maesta was painted between 1308 and 1311 by Duccio di Buoninsegna for the high altar of Siena Cathedral.

The volume contains photographs of the different sections of the great altarpiece, both the front, showing the Virgin in glory, and the back, with the stories of the Passion of Christ taken from the gospels.

The narrative sequence of the Maesta moves from the enthroned Virgin and Christ to the figures of the angels, saints and apostles who surround her.

The scenes of the Passion, from left to right, follow the chronological order of the Gospels.

Beginning by looking at the work as a whole, the visual analysis moves on to examine the different sections and then isolates particular details, reproduced to scale.

The text describes the historical background and provides an iconographic interpretation of the altarpiece, while shedding light on the character of the great painter and his creative processes.