WHY BUY IT

• Magnificent, true-to-life colours
• Adds elegance to any room
• Perfect as a prestigious gift

FEATURES

Print on handmade Amalfi paper with frame
Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges, handmade beech wood frame

The artwork

Simone Martini's "Maestà of the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena" is rich in symbolism that reinforces its religious and political meaning. The Virgin is proclaimed sovereign of Siena; seated on a golden throne beneath a canopy, she is the Queen of Heaven and the protector of Siena. The scroll held by the Infant Jesus bearing the words "DILIGITE IUSTITIAM QUI IUDICATIS TERRAM" ('love justice, you who judge the Earth') recalls the importance of justice for those who govern.

The four patron saints of Siena (Ansanus, Savinus, Crescentius and Victor) kneeling before the Virgin represent the devotion and divine protection of the city. The angels and saints surrounding Mary, together with the twenty oculi bearing figures of the Evangelists and the blessing Redeemer in the frame, reinforce the sense of a heavenly court watching over the city.

The faux marble inlay in the frame of the fresco recalls the preciousness and solemnity of the work. The fresco celebrates not only religious devotion but also the city's political bond with the Virgin, reflecting a powerful ethical and political message that underlines the ideal of justice and divine protection over the city's government.