Description
This small half-length archangel belonged to the uppermost section of the Maestà made for Siena Cathedral in Duccio’s workshop. He holds a slender wand, a sign of heavenly authority, and wears a blue tunic and reddish mantle against a gold background. Now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the panel reveals the graceful line and subtle expression of early fourteenth-century Sienese painting.
One hand gestures delicately while the other holds a remarkably slender wand. Blue fabric and a coral-red cloak establish broad areas of colour, leaving the finely painted face and hands as the expressive centre of the panel. The Philadelphia Museum of Art associates this attribute with the authority of the archangels, heavenly messengers entrusted with maintaining the divine order. Wings and youthful appearance alone would not distinguish the figure from other angels.
