More than 700 years ago in the Italian city of Siena, Duccio di Buoninsegna, known as Duccio, transformed European painting, ushering in a new era of refined elegance in the arts of Tuscany and beyond. Today he is celebrated for both his unprecedented delicacy and his vigorous storytelling. Here, below the cross, mourners coalesce in shared grief around the swooning Virgin. On the other side, the violent gesticulations of soldiers and onlookers explode outwards in confusion. The saints on the wings possibly represent the patron saints of the unidentified owner. Given the demand for his work, Duccio took on assistants who were trained in his style. One of them probably executed most of the central panel, basing the composition on prototypes by the master. This compact triptych was easily portable for use in private devotion. Although made of wood, the meticulous construction, gold backgrounds, and profusion of fine detail make this a precious object. Today it is among the greatest Sienese paintings—and one of the best preserved—outside Europe. He died in 1319.
This is part 1 of 2-part post on the works of Duccio:
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| c1280 Virgin and Child, with Scenes from the Lives of Christ and Saint Francis tempera on panel 49.7 x 25.4 x 5 cm (open) Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College |
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| 1280s Madonna and Child tempera on wood 63 x 49.5 cm Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena |
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| 1280s Madonna and Child tempera on wood 63 x 49.5 cm Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena |
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| 1280s Madonna and Child tempera on wood 63 x 49.5 cm Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena |
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| 1280s Madonna and Child detail of the above |
1285 Ruccelai Madonna: The name of the altarpiece derives from the Ruccelai Chapel of Santa Maria Novella where it remained, after being removed to several different places inside the church, from 191 to 1937 when it was transferred to the Uffizi Museum. The panel was commissioned in 1285.
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| Rucellai Madonna |
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| Rucellai Madonna |
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| Rucellai Madonna |
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| Rucellai Madonna |
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| Rucellai Madonna |
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| Rucellai Madonna |
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| after 1285 Gualino Madonna tempera on wood panel 157 x 86 cm Galleria Sabauda, Turin |
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| c1285-86 Maestà tempera 45 x 29 cm The Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1288-1300 Maestà tempera on wood panel 31.5 x 22.5 cm Kunstmuseum, Bern |
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| 1290-1300 Madonna and Child tempera and gold on wood 23.8 x 16.5 cm (painted surface) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| 1295-1305 Madonna with Child tempera on wood panel 6.8 x 4.9 cm Museo d'Arte Sacra della Val d'Arbia, Tuscany, Italy |
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| 1300-05 Madonna and Child with Six Angels tempera on wood panel 97 x 63 cm Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, Perugia |
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| 1300-05 Polyptych tempera on wood 143 x 24.4 cm Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena |
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| 1300-05 Polyptych detail |
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| 1300-05 Polyptych detail |
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| 1300-05 Polyptych detail |
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| 1300-05 Polyptych detail |
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| 1300-05 Polyptych detail |
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| c1302-08 Triptych; Crucifixion and other Scenes tempera on wood panel 44.9 x 31.4 cm (central Panel) Royal Collection Trust © His Majesty King Charles III 2024 |
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| 1305-08 Triptych centre panel 44.9 x 31.4 cm each wing 4.8 x 16.9 cm Royal Collection, Windsor |
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| The Annun egg tempera on wood 44.5 x 45.8 cm The National Gallery, London |
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| The Healing of the Man born Blind egg tempera on wood 45.1 x 46.7 cm The National Gallery, London |
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| The Transfiguration tempera on wood 48 x 50.5 cm The National Gallery, London |
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| 1308-11 The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew tempera on panel 42.7 x 45.5 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. |
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| 1308-11 The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel tempera on single poplar panel overall (including original frame) 48 × 86.8 × 7.9 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. |
1310-11 Christ and the Samaritan Woman:
This small panel was part of the predella of the Maestà, a commission executed by Duccio for the Duomo in Siena. The monumental double-sided altarpiece was dismantled around 1771, and while most of the panels are now in the Museo dell’Opera in Siena, some were acquired by private collections and museums.
In the one here, Christ-seated on Jacob’s well-is approached by the Samaritan woman, with a pitcher on her head, and engaged in a conversation conveyed through gestures. To the right, they are watched by a group of disciples placed in the architectural setting of the Samaritan town of Sychar, in an attempt to create spatial depth in the painting. The panel is early proof of the development of fourteenth-century art towards a more naturalistic approach, featuring a greater use of narrative discourse and a growing concern for the treatment of space.
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| 1310-11 Christ and the Samaritan Woman tempera and gold on panel. 43.5 x 46 cm Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| 1310-11 The Raising of Lazarus tempera and gold on panel 43.5 x 46.4 cm National Gallery, London |
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| 1310s The Crucifixtion panel 60 x 38 cm City Art Gallery, Manchester, UK |
Before 1311 Archangel:
The wand in the angel's hand identifies him as an archangel. With these wands the archangels expelled Satan from heaven, thereby securing their privileged position as messengers of God.
This panel comes from the pinnacle, or top section, of Duccio's large altarpiece known as the Maestà, which he made for the cathedral of Siena. Maestà is an Italian term for a depiction of the Virgin in a heavenly court. The altarpiece was disassembled in 1771.
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| before 1311 Archangel (Workshop of Duccio) egg tempera and tooled gold on panel with vertical grain 24.4 x 17.1 cm Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA |
c1312-15 The Virgin and Child with Saint Dominic and Saint Aurea:
Here, the Virgin’s cloak is defined by a fluid gold hem. Mother and child share an affectionate gaze as the infant Christ plays with her white veil. The central panel is flanked by two smaller panels – depicting Saint Dominic on the left and Saint Aurea on the right – which can fold inwards to cover and protect the main image. This was essential as it was most probably designed as a portable temporary altarpiece for private prayer while travelling.The painting was made for Niccolò degli Albertini da Prato who became Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, near Rome, in 1303. This would explain the inclusion of Saint Aurea, the patron saint of Ostia, and Dominic, for the Cardinal was himself a member of the religious order that Dominic founded in the thirteenth century.
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| c1312-15 The Virgin and Child with Saint Dominic and Saint Aurea, and Patriarchs and Prophets egg tempera on wood 61.4 x 39.3 cm National Gallery, London |
