In our guide to museums to visit in Siena, the Museo Civico is certainly not missing, which houses – among others – the marvelous Maestà by Simone Martini. An imposing fresco that surprises visitors not only for its size but also for the uniqueness of its style and message. An emblem of Italian Gothic painting, the Maestà stands out for the innovations it introduces: let’s explore them together.
Origin of the work and biographical notes
The Maestà dominates the wall of honor in the Sala del Consiglio, also known as the Sala del Mappamondo after a lost work by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. This was the meeting place of the Sienese government, formed by nine representatives of the city, chosen even from the middle class and artisans.
They commissioned the fresco, preferring Simone Martini over the then more famous Duccio di Buoninsegna, probably because the latter was less familiar with wall paintings.
We do not know exactly when the work began, but it is presumed to be around 1312. However, we know the completion date that the artist inserted, along with his name, in the faux marble decoration on the lower side: June 15, 1315. An important inscription – discovered in the 19th century – not only for the painting itself but also because it serves as the first certain record of the artist’s life. There is no certainty about the place and year of Simone’s birth, so his entire biography is reconstructed from documents and works executed starting precisely from this date. According to Vasari, Martini lived sixty years, and since the year of his death is known – occurring in Avignon in 1344 – we can deduce that he must have been born around 1284 in Tuscany.
It is likely that the young Martini was trained in the circle of Duccio di Buoninsegna, and it’s conceivable that some of the master’s assistants followed him in the execution of the Maestà of the Palazzo Pubblico. It was common practice for artists of the time to surround themselves with collaborators and create real enterprises – the workshops.
Much more certain are the contacts he had with Memmo di Filippuccio, active in Giotto‘s workshop around 1290 during the decoration of the upper basilica of Assisi.
Simone Martini also arrived in the Umbrian city (apparently as early as 1312, coinciding with the execution of the Sienese fresco). Here, he created the designs for the stained glass windows and, subsequently, the frescoes of the Chapel of Saint Martin in the lower basilica.In 1321, he was called to rework the Maestà again to restore it – a substantial intervention often identified as a true reworking of the piece.
The meanings of Maestà by Simone Martini
Seated on a throne and crowned, the Madonna gazes solemnly into the distance, while the Child, standing on His Mother’s lap, blesses the onlookers with his right hand and holds a scroll with the other (made of real paper glued to the wall). All around, angels and saints gather in multiple rows, not all easy to identify.
Observing the fresco from left to right, it has been possible to recognize Saint Paul standing, the Archangel Gabriele, Maria Maddalena, San Giovanni Evangelista, and on the opposite side, San Giovanni Battista, Sant’Agnese (slightly more in the background), the Archangel Michele, and San Pietro, who is supporting one of the vertical poles of the canopy. The two crowned saints with folded arms beside the throne are probably Santa Barbara and Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, as the tower and the wheel – their iconographic attributes – almost erased by time, suggest.
Kneeling in the front row, two angels offer the Holy Family lilies and roses, symbols of purity and motherhood. Next to them, in the same position, are the four patron saints of Siena: Sant’Ansano and San Savino on the left, San Crescenzio and San Vittore on the right.
The throne is richly decorated and gleams with gold like the halos, embellished with stamped patterns of leaves, flowers, and geometric motifs reminiscent of Sienese goldsmithing. The Virgin’s halo shines above all, finely adorned. It is now accepted that Martini revisited the halos and several heads during the restoration of 1321, redoing many of them from scratch, which explains the variations in style and size of some faces.
A large canopy surmounts the scene, and on the falling fabric, the black and white coat of arms of Siena (also known as the “balzana”) and that of the Capitano del Popolo, the red rampant lion, are visible. These alternate in some of the smaller oculi that make up the frame, frescoed by the same artist. Here, too, unfolds a dense iconographic program: in the central medallion at the top, we can distinguish the Cristo Benedicente; at the corners, the four Evangelisti; and elsewhere, saints and prophets.
In the lower band, corresponding to the Redentore, a two-faced female figure captures our attention. She represents the Legge Vecchia (with veiled head) and the Legge Nuova. Around the first, the names of the four cardinal Virtues are inscribed (Prudentia, Iustitia, Fortitudo, Temperantia), while near the young woman, the three theological virtues are cited (Fides, Spes, Caritas). Both display white tablets like signs where the Ten Commandments and the Seven Sacraments are written.
These are not the only texts present in the fresco, which entrusts its ethical-political message precisely to words.
The inscriptions and their meaning
The Maestà combines the religious dimension of the subject with a “secular” one, appropriate to the place where it is located (a government palace) and to its patrons. Moreover, it is the first work where the Madonna “speaks” to the faithful – and she does so in hendecasyllabic verses. These are read in the dark band below and in the one underneath, before the frame.
Her words are: “The angelic little flowers, roses and lilies / That adorn the heavenly meadow / Do not delight me more than good counsel / But sometimes I see those who, for their own status, / Despise me and deceive my land / And when they speak worse, they are more praised / Let each one see whom this speech condemns”. And further below: “My beloved, keep in mind / That your devout and honest prayers / I will fulfill as you wish / But if the powerful molest the weak / Oppressing them with shame or harm / Your prayers are not for these / Nor for anyone who deceives my land”.
An eloquent admonition addressed to the angels – of whom she mentions the flowers – and to the saints, and indirectly also to the Sienese, urged not to despise the Madonna, not to deceive their own land with empty flattery, and to respect the weakest.
Christ also speaks to us, in Latin, in the scroll he holds, quoting the first verse of the Libro della Sapienza: “Diligite iustitiam qui iudicatis terram” (Love justice, you who are judges in this earth).
The combination of these messages must have been clear to the Consiglio, invited to follow the laws of good governance and to let social peace prevail. Siena had long been torn by discord between the powerful families of the Salimbeni and the Tolomei, quieted by the Nove just a few months before the fresco’s completion. The fear of new disorders and the specter of political uncertainty were therefore very strong and palpable.
The comparison with Duccio and Giotto
But what makes the Maestà a masterpiece of Italian Gothic art? Certainly the sharp graphic style – the sinuous and light line that defines the bodies and spaces. The realism of the faces and gestures is striking, as is the introduction of new materials and techniques previously unfamiliar to painting. The unprecedented ornamental quality of the garments and the throne is immediately evident: soaring and perforated, it abounds with elements that recall French architecture of the time. The refined stroke, the preciousness of the decorations, the compositional balance – all contribute to the uniqueness of the work.
The scene, imbued with elegant harmony, almost resembles a courtly gathering rather than a mystical one.
The comparison with the other Sienese Maestà, the panel by Duccio di Buoninsegna for the Duomo di Siena (1308–1311, Museo dell’Opera di Siena), completed only a few years earlier, helps to understand the extent of Martini’s innovation.
In Duccio’s version, the saints are arranged in an orderly and almost rigid manner – a setup that Martini modifies by adopting a more dynamic arrangement, with halos overlapping and faces partially hidden.
Duccio describes the figures more emphatically, and they appear almost heavy when compared to some of Martini’s. Just look at Santa Caterina and Santa Barbara, or even the Vergine. Reworked by Martini, who softened their features and complexion during the second phase of the fresco, they differ significantly from Duccio’s style (still visible in San Pietro, almost a copy of Duccio’s). Even the faces in the panels and the thistle leaves on the lower side of the frame are much finer yet more vibrant.
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These solutions, along with the depiction of the throne with its pronounced depth, indicate a different influence: that of Giotto. As mentioned, it is certain that Simone Martini had the opportunity to see the work of the master from Mugello during his stay in Assisi. It is probable that Giotto’s innovations – from naturalism to concrete spatiality – captivated the young painter.
The ability to harmonize the graceful and gentle spirit from beyond the Alps with the innovative exploration of reality spreading in Italy leads Simone Martini to be considered the initiator of the Italian Gothic style, and his Maestà, with its characteristics, is a shining example.
A trip to Siena is recommended!
