Madonna with Angels and Saints (Maestà) 1335

Ambrogio Lorenzetti created this Maestà without a known date using tempera on wood, resulting in a composition rich in hierarchical symbolism and structured complexity. The painting is dominated by the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, who are centrally positioned, emphasizing their importance through scale and placement. The surrounding saints and angels form a semi-circular arrangement, creating a sense of ordered space. Lorenzetti uses colour to distinguish the divine from the earthly, with gold leaf highlighting the heavenly figures. Structurally, the Maestà embodies the artist's ambition to reconcile the divine with the material. This piece demonstrates the influence of semiotic theory, where each figure represents a sign within a larger theological narrative. The painting engages with post-structuralist ideas about decentering and multiplicity, and invites the viewer to decode its layers of meaning. The use of a flattened perspective is a deliberate move away from realism, underscoring the artwork's symbolic function and challenging the viewer to consider new ways of perceiving space and meaning. The Maestà does not offer a singular meaning; instead, it provides a space for ongoing interpretation.