Christ Entering Jerusalem (Duccio)

From the cycle of small scenes on the back of Duccio's Maesta, this tall panel shows Christ's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11), crowds pouring from the gate to spread cloaks and palms while figures climb the trees. Duccio builds a convincing city of walls, towers, and a domed temple and winds the procession uphill through real space. Compared with Giotto's version of the same event, painted almost the same year, it captures the contrast of the age: where Giotto works in massive, simplified blocks, Duccio crowds the scene with incident, color, and Sienese delicacy.