Duccio di Buoninsegna ( , ; – ), commonly known as just Duccio, was an Italian painter active in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religious buildings around Italy. Duccio is considered one of the greatest Italian painters of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

,Duccio
''Encyclopedia Britannica''. and is credited with creating the painting styles of

Trecento The Trecento (, also , ; short for , "1300") refers to the 14th century in Italian cultural history. The Trecento is considered to be the beginning of the Italian Renaissance or at least the Proto-Renaissance in art history. The Trecento was als ...

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

and the Sienese school.

Biography

Although much is still unconfirmed about Duccio and his life, there is more documentation of him and his life than of other Italian painters of his time. It is known that he was born and died in the city of

, and was also mostly active in the surrounding region of

. Other details of his early life and family are as uncertain, as much else in his history. One avenue to reconstructing Duccio's biography are the traces of him in archives that list when he ran up debts or incurred fines. Some records say he was married with seven children. The relative abundance of archival mentions has led historians to believe that he had difficulties managing his life and his money. Due to his debts, Duccio's family dissociated themselves from him after his death. Another route to filling in Duccio's biography is by analyzing the works that can be attributed to him with certainty. Information can be obtained by analyzing his style, the date and location of the works, and more. Due to gaps where Duccio's name goes unmentioned in the Sienese records for years at a time, scholars speculate he may have traveled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Assisi Assisi (, also ; ; from ; Central Italian: ''Ascesi'') is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Prope ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Nevertheless, his artistic talents were enough to overshadow his lack of organization as a citizen, and he became famous in his own lifetime. In the 14th century Duccio became one of the most favored and radical painters in Siena.

Artistic career

Where Duccio studied, and with whom, is still a matter of great debate, but by analyzing his style and technique art historians have been able to limit the field. Many believe that he studied under

Cimabue Giovanni Cimabue ( , ; – 1302), Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P Bondanella. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics), 1991, pp. 7–14. . also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian p ...

, while others think that maybe he had actually traveled to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

himself and learned directly from a Byzantine master. Little is known of his painting career prior to 1278, when at the age of 23 he is recorded as having painted twelve account book cases. Although Duccio was active from 1268 to about 1311 only approximately 13 of his works survive today. Of Duccio's surviving works, only two can be definitively dated. Both were major public commissions: the "

Rucellai Madonna The ''Rucellai Madonna'' is a panel painting representing the Virgin and Child enthroned with Angels by the Sienese painter Duccio di Buoninsegna. The original contract for the work is dated 1285; the painting was probably delivered in 1286. The p ...

" (

Galleria degli Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of th ...

), commissioned in April 1285 by the Compagnia del Laudesi di Maria Vergine for a chapel in

Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The ch ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

; and the

Maestà Maestà , the Italian word for "majesty", designates a classification of images of the enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus, the designation generally implying accompaniment by angels, saints, or both. The ''Maestà'' is an extension of the " ...

commissioned for the high altar of

Siena Cathedral Siena Cathedral () is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Since the early 13th-century the Siena Cathedral has been an important pa ...

in 1308, which Duccio completed by June 1311.

Style

Duccio Di Buoninsegna - Madonna col Bambino

Duccio's known works are on wood panel, painted in

egg tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. ''Tempera'' also refers to the paintings done in ...

and embellished with

gold leaf upA gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m2 (5.4 sq ft). The Japan.html" ;"title="Toi gold mine museum, Japan">Toi gold mine museum, Japan. Gold leaf is gold that has ...

. Differently from his contemporaries and artists before him, Duccio was a master of tempera and managed to conquer the medium with delicacy and precision. There is no clear evidence that Duccio painted

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es. Duccio's style was similar to

Byzantine art Byzantine art comprises the body of artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome, decline of western Rome and ...

in some ways, with its gold backgrounds and familiar religious scenes; however, it was also different and more experimental. Duccio began to break down the sharp lines of Byzantine art, and soften the figures. He used modeling (playing with light and dark colors) to reveal the figures underneath the heavy drapery; hands, faces, and feet became more rounded and three-dimensional. Duccio's paintings are inviting and warm with color. His pieces consists of many delicate details and are sometimes inlaid with jewels or ornamental fabrics. Duccio was also noted for his complex organization of space. He organized his characters specifically and purposefully. In his ''

'' () the viewer can see all of these qualities at play. Duccio was also one of the first painters to put figures in architectural settings, as he began to explore and investigate depth and space. He also had a refined attention to emotion not seen in other painters at this time. The characters interact tenderly with each other; it is no longer Christ and the Virgin, it is mother and child. He flirts with naturalism, but his paintings are still awe inspiring. Duccio's figures seem to be otherworldly or heavenly, consisting of beautiful colors, soft hair, gracefulness and fabrics not available to mere humans. He influenced many other painters, most notably

Simone Martini Simone Martini ( – July 1344) was an Italian painter born in Siena. He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. It is thought that Martini was a p ...

, and the brothers

Ambrogio Ambrogio is a given name, and may refer to: * Saint Ambrogio (Ambrose), patron saint of Milan *Ambrogio Lorenzetti ( – 1348), painter * Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, the birth name of Pope Pius XI *Ambrogio Bergognone, Renaissance painter *Am ...

and

Pietro Lorenzetti Pietro Lorenzetti (; – 1348) or Pietro Laurati was an Italian painter, active between and 1345. Together with his younger brother Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Ambrogio, he introduced Realism (arts), naturalism into Sienese School, Sienese art. In the ...

Followers

In the course of his life, Duccio had many pupils even if it is not known if they were true pupils who were formed and matured artistically within his workshop, or they were simply painters who imitated his style. Many of the artists are anonymous, and their connection to Duccio has emerged only from analysis of a body of work with common stylistic traits. The first pupils, who can be referred to as a group as first-generation followers, were active between about 1290 and 1320 and include the Master of Badia a Isola, the Master of Città di Castello, the Aringhieri Master, the Master of the ''Collazioni dei Santi Padri'' and the Master of San Polo in Rosso. Another group of followers, who could be termed followers of the second generation, were active between about 1300 and 1335 and include

Segna di Bonaventura Segna di Bonaventura, also known as Segna de Bonaventura, and as Segna di Buonaventura, was an Italian painter of the Sienese School. He was active from about 1298 to 1331. In 1306 he painted a panel for the office of the Biccherna in the Pa ...

Ugolino di Nerio Ugolino di Nerio (1280? – 1349) was an Italian Painting, painter active in his native city of Siena and in Florence between the years 1317 and 1327. He was a follower of Duccio di Buoninsegna, from whose Maestà (Duccio), Maestà some of his ...

, the Master of the Gondi Maestà, the Master of Monte Oliveto and the Master of Monterotondo. It should, however, be said that Segna di Bonaventura was already active prior to 1300 and so he overlaps as to period both the first and second generation of followers. A third group followed Duccio only several years after his death, which shows the impact his painting had on Siena and on Tuscany as a whole. The artists of this third group, active between about 1330 and 1350, include Segna di Bonaventura's sons, that is,

Niccolò di Segna Niccolò di Segna (died around 1348) was an Italian painter from Siena. His activity is documented starting from 1331. Influenced by Duccio di Buoninsegna and Simone Martini, he was an exponent of the Sienese School. He collaborated with Pietro L ...

and Francesco di Segna, and a pupil of

: the Master of Chianciano. Some of the artists were influenced by Duccio alone to the point of creating a decided affinity or kinship between their works and his. Among them was the Master of Badia a Isola, and

, along with

and their sons. Other artists were influenced also by other schools, and these include the Aringhieri Master (think of the massive volumes of

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...

), and the Master of the Gondi Maestà (who shows the influence also of

). The case of

and

is somewhat different. Both artists painted works that have affinities with Duccio: for Simone from about 1305, and Pietro from about 1310 onwards. However, from the outset their work showed distinctive individual features, as can be seen in Simone's ''Madonna and Child no. 583'' (1305–1310) and in Pietro's ''Orsini Triptych'', painted at

(about 1310–1315). Later the two developed styles with completely independent characteristics such that they acquired an artistic standing that elevates them well beyond being labelled simply as followers of Duccio.

Exhibitions

Many of Duccio’s surviving paintings were displayed in the 2024-25 exhibit '' Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350'' at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

and

National Gallery London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current dire ...

, alongside those of brothers

Pietro Pietro is an Italian language, Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice * Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his dea ...

and

Ambrogio Lorenzetti Ambrogio Lorenzetti (; – after 9 August 1348) was an Italian painter of the Sienese school. He was active from approximately 1317 to 1348. He painted ''The Allegory of Good and Bad Government'' in the Sala dei Nove (Salon of Nine or Council Ro ...

, and other Sienese masters of the era. The exhibit was judged “the must-see art show of the season.”

Gallery

File:Duccio_—_Crevole_Madonna.jpg, Crevole Madonna File:Duccio - Rucellai Madonna.jpg, ''

'' () File:MadonnaInTrono41.jpg, ''Maestà,'' detail File:Duccio - Triptych- Crucifixion and other Scenes - Google Art Project.jpg, Crucifixion Triptych File:Duccio di Buoninsegna - Annunciation - WGA06752.jpg, Annunciation File:Duccio di Buoninsegna - Flight into Egypt - WGA06766.jpg, Flight into Egypt File:Duccio di Buoninsegna - Disputation with the Doctors - WGA06768.jpg, Disputation with the Doctors File:Duccio di Buoninsegna - The Raising of Lazarus - Google Art Project.jpg, The Raising of Lazarus File:Duccio di Buoninsegna - Christ and the Samaritan Woman - Google Art Project.jpg, Christ and the Samaritan Woman File:Duccio di Buoninsegna - Christ Before Caiaphas - WGA06797.jpg, Christ before

Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD) was the High Priest of Israel during the first century. In the New Testament, the Gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John indicate he was an organizer of ...

File:Duccio di Buoninsegna - Transfiguration - WGA06780.jpg, Transfiguration File:Duccio_di_Boninsegna_—_Madonna_con_Bambino_in_trono_1311—1313.jpg, Madonna Enthroned

Known surviving works

* ''Madonna and Child'' – Tempera and gold on wood, Museo d'Arte Sacra della Val d'Arbia,

Buonconvento Buonconvento is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("T ...

, near Siena * '' Gualino Madonna'' – Tempera and gold on wood, Galleria Sabauda, Turin * ''Madonna and Child and two Angels'' (Also known as the ''Crevole Madonna''; c. 1280) – Tempera and gold on wood, Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana, Siena * '' Madonna with Child enthroned and six Angels'' () – Also known as the ''

/ Madonna Rucellai'' – Tempera and gold on wood,

, Florence (on deposit from

) * ''Crucifix'' – Tempera on wood, Odescalchi Collection,

, formerly in the Castello Orsini at

Bracciano Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake (Lake Bracciano, Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medie ...

* ''Crucifix (Grosseto)'' (1289) – Church of San Francesco, Grosseto * ''Madonna of the Franciscans'' (c. 1300) – Tempera and gold on wood, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena * ''Triptych: Crucifixion and other Scenes c. 1302–08''

Royal Collection Trust The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

* ''Assumption and Crowning of the Virgin'' –

Stained glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

* ''Maestà'' – Tempera and gold on wood,

Museum of Fine Arts Bern The Museum of Fine Arts Bern (German: ''Kunstmuseum Bern''), established in 1879 in Bern, is the museum of fine arts of the de facto capital of Switzerland. Collections Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to the present. It houses works by Pa ...

, Switzerland * ''

Madonna and Child In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...

'' – Tempera and gold on wood,

, New York (formerly in the Stoclet Collection,

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium) * '' Madonna with Child and six Angels'' – Tempera and gold on wood,

Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria ( English: National Gallery of Umbria) the Italian national paintings collection of Umbria, housed in the Palazzo dei Priori, Perugia, in central Italy. Located on the upper floors of the Palazzo dei Priori, the ...

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

, Italy * ''Polyptych: Madonna and Child with Saints Augustine, Paul, Peter, Dominic, four angels and Christ blessing'' (also known as ''Dossale no. 28''; c. 1305) – Tempera and gold on wood, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena * ''Polyptych no. 47: Madonna and Child with Saints Agnes, John the Evangelist, John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene; ten Patriarchs and Prophets, with Christ blessing'' – Tempera and gold on wood, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena * ''The Surrender of the Castle of Giuncarico'' – Fresco,

Palazzo Pubblico The Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) is a historic palace in Siena, Tuscany, in central Italy. Located on the Piazza del Campo, it is one of the principal architectural landmarks of the city's historic center. Construction began in 1297 to serve ...

, Siena * ''Maestà with Episodes from Christ's Passion'' – Tempera and gold on wood – Massa Marittima Cathedral, Italy * ''Small Triptych: Flagellation of Christ; Crucifixion with Angels; Deposition in the Tomb'' – Tempera and gold on wood, Società di Esecutori di Pie Deposizioni, Siena * ''Small Triptych: Madonna and Child with four Angels, Saints Dominic, Agnes and seven Prophets / Madonna con Bambino e con quattro angeli, i santi Domenico, Agnese, e sette profeti'' – Tempera and gold on wood –

The National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current dire ...

, London, England * ''Portable Altarpiece: Crucifixion with Christ blessing; St Nicholas; St Gregory'' – Tempera and gold on wood,

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...

, United States * ''Small Triptych: Crucifixion with Angels; Annunciation and Madonna and Child with Angels; Stigmata of St Francis with Madonna and Christ enthroned'' – Tempera and gold on wood, UK

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

* '' Maestá (Madonna and Child Enthroned with Twenty Angels and Nineteen Saints)'' – Tempera and gold on wood, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena * ''Maestà (The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain)'' – Tempera and gold on wood –

The Frick Collection The Frick Collection (colloquially known as the Frick) is an art museum on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was established in 1935 to preserve the collection of the industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The collection consists ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

* ''The Crucifixion'' (c.1315) – Tempera and gold on wood –

New-York Historical Society The New York Historical (known as the New-York Historical Society from 1804 to 2024) is an American history museum and library on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. It ...

, New York

References

Sources

* *

External links

DuccioDiBuoninsegna.org
with 130 works by Duccio *

Calvin Tomkins Calvin Tomkins (born December 17, 1925) is an American author and art critic for ''The New Yorker'' magazine. Life and career Tomkins was born in Orange, New Jersey, on December 17, 1925. After graduating from Berkshire School, he attended Prince ...

"The Missing Madonna: The story behind the Met's most expensive acquisition"
''The New Yorker Magazine'', July 11 & 18, 2005.
Duccio in Panopticon Virtual Art Gallery

at the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

, Washington DC * *Carl Brandon Strehlke,
"Archangel by the Workshop of Duccio di Buoninsegna (cat. 88)"
' in
The John G. Johnson Collection: A History and Selected Works
', a Philadelphia Museum of Art free digital publication. {{DEFAULTSORT:Duccio Gothic painters Italian male painters Italian Roman Catholics Painters from Siena Trecento painters 1310s deaths 13th-century births 13th-century Italian painters 14th-century Italian painters Catholic painters