Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Maestà
References
Britannica AI Icon

Maestà

fresco by Martini
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

The Maestà is a term for an altarpiece depicting the Virgin Mary enthroned with the Christ Child, surrounded by angels and saints. The most famous Maestà works were created in Siena, Italy.

Duccio di Buoninsegna painted a significant Maestà for the Siena Cathedral between 1308 and 1311. This large altarpiece featured the Virgin and Child adored by Sienese patrons, with scenes from the lives of Christ and the Virgin on its reverse and predella.1

Simone Martini, possibly a student of Duccio, also created a Maestà in 1315 for the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena. His version, while inspired by Duccio's work, introduced a greater sense of illusionistic perspective and depicted the Virgin as a Gothic queen.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. Maestà
  2. Simone Martini
  3. 7 Masterpieces of Painting in Vatican City

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.