Although much is still unconfirmed about Duccio and his life, there is more documentation of him and his life than of other Italian painters of his time. It is known that he was born and died in the city ofSiena, and was also mostly active in the surrounding region ofTuscany. Other details of his early life and family are as uncertain, as much else in his history.
One avenue to reconstructing Duccio's biography are the traces of him in archives that list when he ran up debts or incurred fines. Some records say he was married with seven children. The relative abundance of archival mentions has led historians to believe that he had difficulties managing his life and his money. Due to his debts, Duccio's family dissociated themselves from him after his death.[3]
Another route to filling in Duccio's biography is by analyzing the works that can be attributed to him with certainty. Information can be obtained by analyzing his style, the date and location of the works, and more. Due to gaps where Duccio's name goes unmentioned in the Sienese records for years at a time, scholars speculate he may have traveled toParis,Assisi andRome.[4]
Nevertheless, his artistic talents were enough to overshadow his lack of organization as a citizen, and he became famous in his own lifetime. In the 14th century Duccio became one of the most favored and radical painters in Siena.
The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew (from theMaestà),c. 1308–1311
Where Duccio studied, and with whom, is still a matter of great debate, but by analyzing his style and technique art historians have been able to limit the field.[5] Many believe that he studied underCimabue[citation needed], while others think that maybe he had actually traveled toConstantinople himself and learned directly from a Byzantine master[citation needed].
Little is known of his painting career prior to 1278, when at the age of 23 he is recorded as having painted twelve account book cases.[6] Although Duccio was active from 1268 to about 1311 only approximately 13 of his works survive today.[7]
Of Duccio's surviving works, only two can be definitively dated. Both were major public commissions:[8] the "Rucellai Madonna" (Galleria degli Uffizi), commissioned in April 1285 by the Compagnia del Laudesi di Maria Vergine for a chapel inSanta Maria Novella inFlorence; and theMaestà commissioned for the high altar ofSiena Cathedral in 1308, which Duccio completed by June 1311.[9]
Madonna and Child, the child touching the virgin's veil, c. 1300The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, 1308–1311,National Gallery of Art
Duccio's known works are onwood panel, painted inegg tempera and embellished withgold leaf. Differently from his contemporaries and artists before him, Duccio was a master of tempera and managed to conquer the medium with delicacy and precision. There is no clear evidence that Duccio paintedfrescoes.[5]
Duccio's style was similar toByzantine art in some ways, with its gold backgrounds and familiar religious scenes; however, it was also different and more experimental. Duccio began to break down the sharp lines of Byzantine art, and soften the figures. He used modeling (playing with light and dark colors) to reveal the figures underneath the heavy drapery; hands, faces, and feet became more rounded and three-dimensional. Duccio's paintings are inviting and warm with color. His pieces consists of many delicate details and are sometimes inlaid with jewels or ornamental fabrics. Duccio was also noted for his complex organization of space. He organized his characters specifically and purposefully. In hisRucellai Madonna (c. 1285) the viewer can see all of these qualities at play.[10]
Duccio was also one of the first painters to put figures in architectural settings, as he began to explore and investigate depth and space. He also had a refined attention to emotion not seen in other painters at this time. The characters interact tenderly with each other; it is no longer Christ and the Virgin, it is mother and child. He flirts with naturalism, but his paintings are still awe inspiring. Duccio's figures seem to be otherworldly or heavenly, consisting of beautiful colors, soft hair, gracefulness and fabrics not available to mere humans.
In the course of his life, Duccio had many pupils even if it is not known if they were true pupils who were formed and matured artistically within his workshop, or they were simply painters who imitated his style. Many of the artists are anonymous, and their connection to Duccio has emerged only from analysis of a body of work with common stylistic traits. The first pupils, who can be referred to as a group as first-generation followers, were active between about 1290 and 1320 and include theMaster of Badia a Isola, theMaster of Città di Castello, the Aringhieri Master, the Master of theCollazioni dei Santi Padri and the Master of San Polo in Rosso.
Another group of followers, who could be termed followers of the second generation, were active between about 1300 and 1335 and includeSegna di Bonaventura,Ugolino di Nerio, the Master of the Gondi Maestà, the Master of Monte Oliveto and the Master of Monterotondo. It should, however, be said that Segna di Bonaventura was already active prior to 1300 and so he overlaps as to period both the first and second generation of followers.
A third group followed Duccio only several years after his death, which shows the impact his painting had on Siena and on Tuscany as a whole. The artists of this third group, active between about 1330 and 1350, include Segna di Bonaventura's sons, that is,Niccolò di Segna and Francesco di Segna, and a pupil ofUgolino di Nerio: the Master of Chianciano.
Some of the artists were influenced by Duccio alone to the point of creating a decided affinity or kinship between their works and his. Among them was theMaster of Badia a Isola, andUgolino di Nerio, along withSegna di Bonaventura and their sons. Other artists were influenced also by other schools, and these include the Aringhieri Master (think of the massive volumes ofGiotto), and the Master of the Gondi Maestà (who shows the influence also ofSimone Martini).
The case ofSimone Martini andPietro Lorenzetti is somewhat different. Both artists painted works that have affinities with Duccio: for Simone from about 1305, and Pietro from about 1310 onwards. However, from the outset their work showed distinctive individual features, as can be seen in Simone'sMadonna and Child no. 583 (1305–1310) and in Pietro'sOrsini Triptych, painted atAssisi (about 1310–1315). Later the two developed styles with completely independent characteristics such that they acquired an artistic standing that elevates them well beyond being labelled simply as followers of Duccio.
Polyptych: Madonna and Child with Saints Augustine, Paul, Peter, Dominic, four angels and Christ blessing (also known asDossale no. 28; c. 1305)– Tempera and gold on wood,Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena
Polyptych no. 47:Madonna and Child with Saints Agnes, John the Evangelist, John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene; ten Patriarchs and Prophets, with Christ blessing– Tempera and gold on wood,Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena
The Surrender of the Castle of Giuncarico– Fresco,Palazzo Pubblico, Siena
Maestà with Episodes from Christ's Passion– Tempera and gold on wood –Massa Marittima Cathedral, Italy
Small Triptych: Flagellation of Christ; Crucifixion with Angels; Deposition in the Tomb– Tempera and gold on wood, Società di Esecutori di Pie Deposizioni, Siena
Small Triptych: Madonna and Child with four Angels, Saints Dominic, Agnes and seven Prophets / Madonna con Bambino e con quattro angeli, i santi Domenico, Agnese, e sette profeti– Tempera and gold on wood –The National Gallery, London, England
Portable Altarpiece: Crucifixion with Christ blessing; St Nicholas; St Gregory– Tempera and gold on wood,Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States[17]
Small Triptych: Crucifixion with Angels; Annunciation and Madonna and Child with Angels; Stigmata of St Francis with Madonna and Christ enthroned– Tempera and gold on wood, UKRoyal Collection
Maestá (Madonna and Child Enthroned with Twenty Angels and Nineteen Saints)– Tempera and gold on wood,Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena
^Polzer, Joseph (2005). "A Question of Method: Quantitative Aspects of Art Historical Analysis in the Classification of Early Trecento Italian Painting Based on Ornamental Practice".Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorisches Institutes in Florenz.49 (1/2):33–100.JSTOR27655375.
^Christiansen, Keith. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2004–2005." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 63 (Fall 2005), pp. 14–15, ill. on cover (color, cropped) and p. 14 (color).
