The Maestà

Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255–1319) — 1308–1311 · Tempera on panel · Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

“And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” — Luke 1:28 (KJV)

About

Duccio's Maestà — painted 1308–1311 — was carried through Siena in a city-wide procession to the cathedral, shops closed, bells ringing. The Virgin enthroned with the child Christ is surrounded by a court of angels and Siena's patron saints; the back told the whole Passion.

The Meaning

A whole city processed its altarpiece home: the picture was Siena's covenant in paint, the heavenly court mirroring the earthly one. Its inscription is a prayer that Mary would give peace to Siena — the city's wellbeing laid at heaven's door.

For Us Today

Give God the place of honour in the city of your own heart, publicly and gladly. And let your devotion, like Siena's procession, be something your neighbours can see.

Image: Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons — the file’s page. Tap the picture to open the full-size original there.