Description
This fragmentarily preserved, double-sided altarpiece in the Cathedral of San Cerbone at Massa Marittima shows the Virgin and Child on the front and scenes from Christ’s Passion on the reverse. The reproduced side is dominated by the Crucifixion, surrounded by smaller episodes. The work belongs to early fourteenth-century Sienese painting. Traditionally linked to Duccio and his workshop, its authorship remains disputed.
The image accompanying this record shows the Passion side rather than both faces of the work. The surviving fragments point to a programme that joined Marian devotion to remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. A large Crucifixion dominates the reverse, with Christ between the two thieves. Mourners, followers and soldiers gather below, while smaller narrative scenes survive at the sides, some badly damaged. The central composition gives the death on the cross commanding visual weight.
