Madonna with Child and six Angels

This Madonna with Child and Six Angels by Duccio di Buoninsegna, dating to around 1300 and now in the National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia, is an important early work by the master who transformed Sienese painting. Created before the Maestà commission that would become his masterpiece, this panel shows Duccio already moving beyond the rigid conventions of the Italo-Byzantine tradition toward a warmer, more human depiction of the sacred. The six attending angels reflect the celestial hierarchy that was a central concern of Gothic theological thought.

Executed in egg tempera on gold-ground panel, the painting reveals Duccio's early mastery of luminous color and refined linear design. The Madonna's gently inclined head and the angels' varied poses show the artist beginning to humanize the iconic Byzantine formula with subtle naturalistic touches.