Maestà
Maestà
In the West, the image seems to have developed from Byzantine precedents such as the coin of Constantine's Empress
A more domestic representation, suitable to private devotion, is the iconographic theme of
Examples of Maestà in painting
The most famous example of the Maestà is the Maestà with Twenty Angels and Nineteen Saints, an
Creating this altarpiece assembled from many wood panels bonded together before painting was an arduous undertaking. The work was not only large, the central panel was 7 by 13 feet, but it had to be painted on both sides since it could be seen from all directions when installed on the main altar at the centre of the sanctuary.[5]
On the back of the Maesta were episodes from the life of Christ, focusing on his Passion. Sacred narrative unfolds in elegant episodes enacted by graceful figures who seem to dance their way through these stories while still conveying emotional content.[6]
Because the Maesta was dismantled in 1771, its power and beauty can only be imagined from scattered parts, some still in Siena, Italy, but others elsewhere.[7]
Other noted examples of the Maestà are
Notes
- ^ See M. Lawrence's discussion of this image, Maria Regina, Art Bulletin 7 (1924–1925:150-61.
- ^ Suggested by Lawrence 1924:
- Queen of Heaven, is a late sixth century poem, perhaps by Venantius Fortunatus.
- Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, are listed by John L. Osborne, "Early Medieval Painting in San Clemente, Rome: The Madonna and Child in the Niche", Gesta 20.2 (1981:299–310) p. 304f.
- ^ Stockstad, Marilyn
- ^ Stokstad, Marilyn
- ^ Stokstad, Marilyn
References
- Ragioneri, Giovanna (1989). Duccio. Florence: Cantini. ISBN 88-7737-058-0. 1989.
- Stokstad, Marilyn; Art History, 2011, 4th ed., ISBN 0-205-79094-1
Further reading
- Bellosi, Luciano (1999). Duccio: The Maestà. New York: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 9780500237717.
External links
