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Why did the contract for the Rucellai Madonna require a gold border?

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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.

The contract for the Rucellai Madonna, commissioned in 1285 by the Compagnia dei Laudesi, stipulated that the work be "a most beautiful picture" and include a gold border. While the contract explicitly required the gold border, it did not provide a specific theological or aesthetic justification for this requirement within the document itself.1

Historically, however, the use of gold in religious art of this period was highly significant. Gold was frequently employed to represent divine light and to signify the presence of the sacred. In the context of the Rucellai Madonna, the gilded frame features medallions depicting figures from the Bible, maintaining the Byzantine style traditions that were common in religious altarpieces of the time. The inclusion of such luxurious materials was intended to honor the Virgin and reflect the high status of the commission.231