Description
This panel is one of two held by the National Art Gallery of one of the most important monuments of Western painting: the imposing two-sided altarpiece known as the Maestà by Duccio di Buoninsegna (Siennese, c. 1250/1255 - 1318 /1319). The Maestà dominated the main altar of Siena Cathedral for almost two centuries. The National Gallery of Art is the only institution in the United States that owns two panels of this masterpiece. The vocation of the apostles Peter and Andrew is the second panel of the Maestà in the Gallery's collection.
Standing on either side of this Nativity are two Hebrew prophets, whose writings, quoted in the scrolls they hold, are believed by Christians to predict the birth of Jesus. The Nativity of the Room was added to other scenes from the childhood of Jesus (and other prophets) that were displayed along the front horizontal base of the altarpiece called "predella" below a monumental image of the Virgin and Child in majesty, enthroned in a multitude of saints and angels (see Reconstruction). The Virgin was the patron saint of Siena, and her devotion had a strong civic as well as religious dimension. Before its installation in June 1311, Duccio's altarpiece was paraded triumphantly through the streets. Musicians were hired to accompany him, along with all the priests and monks of Siena. A procession of city officials and citizens was followed by women and children ringing bells. Shops were closed all day and alms were given to the poor.
The visibility and authority of the Maestà, along with Duccio's importance as a teacher, help explain Siena's sustained taste for gold and Byzantine-style abstraction, even as artists elsewhere in Tuscany took a more naturalistic approach. . This Nativity mixes Byzantine elements with more contemporary and local trends. The Virgin's recumbent posture and out-of-scale size are reminiscent of Nativity icons, and like many icon painters, Duccio has included two midwives who wash and tend the newborn and confirm its virgin birth. The cave setting also comes from the Greek East, but the manger ceiling is similar to those found in Northern European Gothic art. While the effect of bright gold color is highly decorative, Duccio's graceful lines and flowing brushstrokes soften the austerity of the Byzantine style.
Completed in less than three years, the Maestà was a huge undertaking, for which Duccio received 3,000 gold guilders, more than any artist had ever asked for. Although he must have had substantial help from his students and workshop assistants, the design and execution indicate that Duccio exercised control over the entire project. Moved to a side altar in 1506, the altarpiece was sawn in the 1770s and the individual panels subsequently dispersed.
This makes it impossible to determine its dimensions with any certainty, but it must have been about 15 feet wide, with the gables rising up to 17 feet high. In all, there were probably more than 70 individual scenes.