How did Gothic style appear in Duccio’s Madonna of the Franciscans?

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Duccio: The Virgin Enthroned with the Child, Surrounded by the Patrons of Siena, Angels, and Saints — Duccio *The Virgin Enthroned with the Child, Surrounded by the Patrons of Siena, Angels, and Saints*, central panel of the *Maestà*, tempera on wood panel by Duccio, 1308–11; in the Siena Opera della Metropolitana, Italy.

In the small altarpiece known as The Madonna of the Franciscans, the Gothic style in Duccio’s work is manifested through the use of curving outlines. These lines serve to create an exquisite decorative effect, which is a hallmark of the developed Gothic style present in this piece.1

While Duccio is recognized as the founder of the Sienese school, his artistic evolution involved a fusion of the formal Italo-Byzantine tradition with the new spirituality and elegance characteristic of the Gothic style. This transition toward greater realism and lyrical, animated stylization—often influenced by contemporary French Gothic miniatures—became increasingly prominent in his later works, moving beyond the traditional Byzantine conventions that defined his earlier career.2314