Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300-1350 at London's National Gallery

The National Gallery in London presents "Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300-1350," curated by Joanna Cannon and Caroline Campbell in collaboration with Stephan Wolohojian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The exhibition opens with Duccio's Stoclet Madonna, highlighting the master's evolution from Byzantine models through humanized, sfumato-incarnate depictions of the Virgin. Siena, located along the Via Francigena pilgrimage route, was a hub of trade and diplomacy, with documented missions to Tabriz in the Mongol Empire in the early 14th century. The show includes goldsmith works, miniatures, textiles, and sculptures alongside paintings. Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Annunciation dazzles with gold leaf, featuring a thin golden column dividing the space and the angel's words running along the horizon. The exhibition concludes with Simone Martini's influence on Northern masters through his Avignon period, comparing his Orsini Polyptych (1326-1334) to the Wilton Diptych (1396-9) and the Limbourg brothers' Très Riches Heures (1405-1408/9). These comparisons demonstrate how small-format devotional objects facilitated cultural exchange across Europe. The exhibition runs at the National Gallery in London.