Madonna and Child with Saints Polyptych

The Madonna and Child with Saints Polyptych, completed around 1311 and now in the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Siena, is one of Duccio di Buoninsegna's important multi-panel altarpieces created during the peak of his career. Duccio was the founding master of the Sienese school and the greatest Italian painter of the generation before Giotto's full impact was felt. This polyptych format, with a central Madonna flanked by standing saints in separate compartments, became the standard altarpiece type for Italian Gothic churches throughout the trecento.

The polyptych is executed in egg tempera and gold leaf on shaped wooden panels with Gothic pointed arches. Duccio's characteristic sinuous line, jewel-like color, and the delicate patterning of textiles demonstrate the Sienese school's fusion of Byzantine tradition with a new courtly elegance.