Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena
Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena – The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (Museum of the Works of the Cathedral) in Siena is one of the oldest private museums in Italy, founded in 1869, and houses some of the greatest masterpieces of Italian Gothic and early Renaissance art originally created for Siena Cathedral. Located in the former extension of the cathedral (the „Duomo Nuovo,“ an ambitious 14th-century expansion that was never completed due to the Black Death), the museum displays extraordinary works including Duccio di Buoninsegna’s monumental Maestà, one of the supreme achievements of medieval painting. The museum also houses original sculptures by Giovanni Pisano from the cathedral facade, works by Donatello, Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini, and other masters of the Sienese school, as well as illuminated manuscripts and liturgical objects. A highlight is the opportunity to climb to the „Facciatone“ (the unfinished facade of the Duomo Nuovo) for spectacular panoramic views of Siena. The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo is particularly celebrated for Duccio’s Maestà (1308-1311), originally the high altar of the cathedral and considered one of the greatest paintings of the Middle Ages; Giovanni Pisano’s dynamic Gothic sculptures from the cathedral facade (c. 1284-1297); and its unique location in the incomplete „new cathedral,“ offering both artistic treasures and architectural history.
