Proto-Renaissance; "Father" of the Sienese School
Both are unknown. Though we've seen "ca. 1255," "ca. 1260," "ca. 1255/60" and "probably Siena," the first recorded mention we have of Duccio is that he had a painting commission for the Commune of Siena in 1278.
Frustrating, to have so little factual evidence on the first great Sienese artist. Only a few works attributed to Duccio are universally accepted as being his, and every attempt at dating these is an educated guess. None of which detracts from Duccio's innovative use of narrative composition, color and gilding, or for summing up the Byzantine style so splendidly. His huge masterpiece, Maestà, was unequaled, and his influence on Italian Renaissance painting lasted well into the 15th-century.
- • Madonna of the Franciscans (ca. 1270-1300)
- • The Rucellai Madonna (ca. 1285)
- • Madonna and Child (a.k.a. "the Stroganoff Madonna"; ca. 1300-05)
- • Maestà (completed 1311)
Siena, sometime prior to October of 1319. Duccio may have passed on in 1318 for all we know, but the aforementioned date is that of court documents reporting that his seven children relinquished claims to his inheritance, in favor of their widowed mother.
- Bellosi, Luciano. Duccio: The Maesta. Thames & Hudson; 1999.
- Dini, Giulietta Chelazzi; Angelini, Alessandro and Sani, Bernardina. Sienese Painting: From Duccio to the Birth of the Baroque. Harry N Abrams; 1998.
- Jannella, Cecilia. Duccio Di Buoninsegna (Library Great Masters). Riverside Book Company; 1991.
- Satkowski, Jane; Maginnis, Hayden B. J. Duccio Di Buoninsegna : The Documents. University of Georgia Museum of Art; 2000.
- Stubblebine, James H. Duccio Di Buoninsegna and His School. Princeton University Press; 1979.
See more resources on Duccio by following the links at right
Go to Artist Profiles: Names beginning with "D" or Artist Profiles: Main Index
