Virgin Hodegetria

A Virgin Hodegetria painting on a corner
of Piazza Santa Maria Novella
Picture taken by Cava Hadikusumo

During the Dugento and Trecento, the increased importance of the Virgin Mary was apparent in Italian art. There was a growth of the cult of the Virgin in Europe, and the Order of the Servites was founded in 1233. The Servites were devoted to the Virgin Mary and performed good deeds in cities. Several artists were commissioned to create large-scale panel paintings of Mary. Coppo di Marcovaldo painted a seven-feet tall Madonna Enthroned (Madonna dei Servi) in 1261. Around 1280-1290, Cimabue painted Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets, a large panel painting for Santa Trinita (Holy Trinity) in Florence. Giotto di Bondone's panel depicting the same subject, Madonna Enthroned, was painted for the Church of the Ognissanti (All Saints) in Florence around 1310. Duccio di Buoninsegna, a painter from Siena, completed his most famous painting, Maesta (Virgin Enthroned in Majesty), in 1311. The Virgin was the religious focus of Siena because the Sienese believed that she had brought them to victory at the battle of Monteperti. The paintings depict Mary as a Virgin Hodegetria as she holds the baby Jesus on her side and points to him, showing that he is the way to salvation. In the paintings, Mary often wears a red gown and a blue cape. Blue represents heaven, while red represents passion and earth.