Christ Accused by the Pharisees (top); Pilate's First Interrogation of Christ (bottom)

Duccio di Buoninsegna's Christ Accused by the Pharisees and Pilate's First Interrogation panels from the Maestà depict consecutive moments in the legal proceedings against Jesus. These small panels from the Maestà's complex narrative program show Duccio's remarkable ability to organize multiple figures in architectural settings that create a convincing spatial stage for narrative action, while differentiating the psychological states of accusers, defenders, and the calm Christ at the drama's center. The panels' sophisticated narrative sequencing influenced Florentine painters for generations.

Executed in egg tempera on gold ground panel, the paired scenes use architectural settings to frame the dramatic encounters, with Duccio creating convincing spatial boxes that contain the figural action. The expressive gestures and nuanced facial characterizations advance the emotional narrative across the two registers.