The Maestà: Artwork Analysis

The Maestà was at one time the amalgamation of over fifty individual panels that made up a two-sided altarpiece. The altarpiece was commissioned by the Cathedral of Siena from artist Duccio di Buoninsegna. Today different parts of the Maestà are either lost or scattered across collections in museums around the world after it was completely dismembered in 1771. Although, after its dismantlement, the full significance of the work has been lost, the Maestà remains an impressive display of art that demonstrates aspects of the society and culture in which it was created.
There are far too many individual paintings to analyze in depth in this paper so I will focus on both the entire work as a whole as well as the largest piece, both in size and
It is an excellent exemplar of the ubiquity of the Virgin Mary in art and society in fourteenth century Italy. As well as being an intercessor, Mary was a protectress for Siena. Mary was seen as the guardian of peace for the city. This can be seen through the inscription on the bottom of her throne which reads (translated into English) “Holy Mother of God, be thou the cause of peace for Siena, and life to Duccio because he painted thee thus” . In addition, her protectress role is shown through how she holds Jesus gently yet securely in the painting. The full extent of this ‘protectress role’ however can best be seen through the painting that the Maestà was commissioned to replace. The Maestà was commissioned to replace on the high altar the Madonna degli occhi grossi which had previously been the “single, most revered object in the city”. Great homage was paid to this earlier depiction of the Virgin because it was seen as the cause for a miraculous war victory against the despised city of Florence at the Battle of Montaperti in 1260. This makes obvious the fact that the Virgin Mary was seen as important to the safety and the peace of Siena. Taking this a step further, by replacing a work with this much grandeur shows just how respected its creator, Duccio di Buoninsegna, must have been and the
The reception of the altarpiece was received with much pageantry. The day that the work was transported from Duccio to the Cathedral of Siena was declared a national holiday and all businesses were closed. A chronicler present at the occasion, Agnolo di Tura, noted that women and children went through Siena “ringing all the bells for joy” and “trumpeters, players of a horn and a kettledrum went out to meet the procession”. Through this ceremonious display we see the scope of the importance of the Maestà when it was first made. It had both religious as well as civic importance and that importance was immense. Art was a significant part of Sienese culture. The Maestà and art in general meant something very profound to the people of Siena as manifested by the spectacle that was its