Road to Emmaus (top); Noli me tangere (bottom)

This double-register panel showing the Road to Emmaus above and Noli me tangere below is from the reverse of Duccio di Buoninsegna's Maestà altarpiece for Siena Cathedral, completed 1308-1311. Both scenes depict post-Resurrection encounters in which Christ appears in unfamiliar guise — to the disciples at Emmaus and to Mary Magdalene in the garden. Duccio's treatment of these recognition scenes explores themes of faith, vision, and spiritual understanding central to Gothic theological thought.

Executed in egg tempera and gold on panel, the two scenes contrast an outdoor landscape setting (Road to Emmaus) with the enclosed garden of the Noli me tangere. Duccio's landscape rendering, with its rocky terrain and delicate trees, represents some of the most accomplished natural settings in Trecento panel painting.