Duccio di Buoninsegna << DOOT choh dee `bwaw` neen SAY nyah >> (1250?-1319?) was the first great painter from Siena, Italy. He became noted for the graceful faces and the soft drapery of his figures. His painting grew out of the earlier Gothic and Byzantine styles, while anticipating the more humanistic art of the Renaissance. From 1308 to 1311, he painted The Maesta, the great altarpiece of the cathedral in Siena. It shows the Madonna enthroned, surrounded by angels and saints. Duccio also created miniature paintings for books. He was born in Siena.
