Duccio, in full Duccio di Buoninsegna  (b. 13th century, Siena, Republic of Siena—d. c. 1319, Siena?), one of the greatest Italian painters of the Middle Ages and the founder of the Sienese school. In Duccio’s art the formality of the Italo-Byzantine tradition, strengthened by a clearer understanding of its evolution from classical roots, is fused with the new spirituality of the Gothic style. Greatest of all his works is the Maestà (1311), the altarpiece of the Siena cathedral. There is little documented information about Duccio’s life and career. In large ...