The artwork titled “Prophets. Isaiah,” created by the artist Duccio between 1308 and 1311, employs the medium of wood and tempera. This piece belongs to the Proto Renaissance art movement and falls within the genre of religious painting. It is a part of the “Maesta” series.
The artwork depicts the prophet Isaiah, who is rendered in an elongated vertical format characteristic of early Renaissance panel painting. Isaiah is shown with a long, flowing beard and is clad in draped garments of deep reddish-purple hues, emphasizing his divine and prophetic status. His right hand is slightly raised as if in a gesture of expounding or blessing, while his left hand holds a scroll inscribed with biblical text, signifying his role as a foreteller of divine will. The background is adorned with a golden hue, which symbolizes holiness and otherworldliness, typical of the religious iconography of the period. The faint use of line and the illustration of facial features exhibit Duccio’s transition from Byzantine traditions to a more humanistic portrayal that would later define the Renaissance.
