A monumental altarpiece painted by Duccio between 1308 and 1311 for the
high altar of Siena Cathedral. The front is a single image of the Virgin
enthroned as queen (“Maestà”) surrounded by twenty angels and twenty
saints; the back told the story of the Passion across 26 scenes. When it
was finished it was carried in procession through the streets of Siena to
the cathedral, with every bell in the city ringing.
