Maestà

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Maestà is the italian word for female sovereign, the concept is used for pieces of art that show the enthroned Madonna with child often accompanied with angels and saints.

Image:San Francesco Cimabue.jpg

These paintings came in fashion in the second half of 12th ct. and in the 13th ct. either as pictures on walls as frescos or as paintings on wooden altar panels.

Famous examples for these kind of paintings are Simone Martini's Maestà at the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, Italy or Cimabue's fresco in the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi in Italy.

The Mother of God Enthroned with the Christ Child
Amidst Angels and Saints
(Central Panel of the Maestà)

Duccio, 1308–1311

tempera and gold on wood

214 × 142 cm

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

Another most beautiful example for such a painting is the Maestà with 20 Angels and 19 Saints, a fabulous altarpiece comprised of many individual paintings commissioned by the city of Siena in 1308 by the artist Duccio di Buoninsegna.

The painting was installed in the cathedral in Siena on June 9, 1311. One person who witnessed this event wrote:

"And on that day when it (the Maestà) was brought into the cathedral, all workshops remained closed, and the bishop commanded a great host of devoted priests and monks to file past in solemn procession. This was accompanied by all the high officers of the Commune and by all the people; all honorable citizens of Siena surrounded said panel with candles held in their hands, and women and children followed humbly behind. They accompanied the panel amidst the glorious pealing of bells after a solemn procession on the Piazza del Campo into the very cathedral; and all this out of reverence for the costly panel… The poor received many alms, and we prayed to the Holy Mother of God, our patron saint, that she might in her infinite mercy preserve this our city of Siena from every misfortune, traitor or enemy."

The altarpiece remained in place until 1711, when it was dismantled in order to distribute the pieces between two altars. The 5 meter high construction was dismantled and sawn up, and the paintings damaged in the process. Partial restoration took place in 1956. The dismantling also lead to pieces going astray, either being sold, or simply unaccounted for. Today what remains of the altarpiece is divided between Siena and several other museums all over the Western world, as noted below.

Panels of Duccio's Maestà altarpiece at Museo dell'Opera della Metropolitana, Siena

The Mother of God Enthroned with the Christ Child Amidst Angels and Saints, central panel
The Wedding Feast of Cana
The Temptation of Christ atop the Temple
The Annunciation of the Virgin's death
The Virgin's Farewell to St John
The Virgin's Farewell to the Apostles
The Death of the Virgin
The Funeral of the Virgin
The Burial of the Virgin
The Appearance of Christ behind closed doors
The Incredulity of St Thomas
The Pentecost
The Appearance of Christ on Lake Tiberias
The Appearance of Christ on the Mountain in Galilee
The Appearance of Christ to the Apostles at Supper
The Adoration of the Magi; Salomon
The Presentation in the Temple; the prophet Malachi
The Massacre of the Innocents; the prophet Jeremiah
The The Flight into Egypt; the prophet Hosea
The Boy Jesus among the Doctors
Episodes from Christ's Passion Tempera and gold on wood. The work, consisting of 26 episodes on 14 panels, was originally the reverse surface of the Maestà.

Panels of Duccio's Maestà altarpiece outside of Siena

Angel (formerly in the Stoclet Collection, Brussels)
Angel (Philadelphia Museum of Art)
Archangel Gabriel (Castel Huis Bergh, in 's-Heerenberg, The Netherlands)
Angel (Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts)
The Coronation of the Virgin (Szépmüveszéti Muzeum, Budapest)
The Annunciation (National Gallery, London)
Isaiah; Nativity; Ezekiel (Andrew W. Mellon Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC)
Temptation of Christ on the Mountain (Frick Collection, New York, USA)
Calling of SS. Peter and Andrew (Samuel H. Kress Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.)
Christ and the Samaritan Woman (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid)
Healing of the Blind Man (National Gallery, London)
The Transfiguration (National Gallery, London)
The Raising of Lazarus (Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas)