The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew was originally painted between 1308 and 1311 as part of the rear predella of Duccio's Maestà for the high altar of Siena Cathedral. After the Maestà was dismantled in the 1770s, the panel passed through several private collections, including those of Giuseppe and Marziale Dini, Charles Fairfax Murray, and the Samuel H. Kress Collection. In 1939, it was acquired by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it is permanently housed today.
Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319) was a very influential artist and the leading painter of the Sienese School belonging to the late medival Italian era. He was born near Siena and was first documented in 1278 after receiving commission to decorate official document chests from the Siena Council. Duccio received his training under early Sienese masters like Guido da Siena and was later inspired by Cimabue. Under their influence, he was able to develop a distinctive style that was a blend of Gothic elegance with Byzantine traditions, expressive figures, and passionate emotions. He had a quite fulfilling career with top commissions for civic institutions and churches, such as his famous masterpiece— Maestà for Siena Cathedral (1308-1311). Duccio did not allow his frequent legal disputes and financial struggles divert people from praising his artistic achievements that laid the foundation of Sienese painting that deeply influenced other Italian artists.
“The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew” by Duccio di Buoninsegna was created between 1308-1311 as one of the panels on the reverse predella of the monumental Maestà for the high altar of Siena Cathedral. The panel represents a biblical moment from the Gospel of Matthew (4:18–20) when Jesus called the fishermen Simon Peter and his brother Andrew asking them to follow him as his first disciples, basically turning them into ‘fishers of men.’ This scene was meant to be a part of Christ's public ministry and was intended to be viewed by the clergy standing behind the altar. Although small in size, the painting is a classic example of Duccio's outstanding ability to combine spirituality with natural observation.
Christ is standing on a rocky shore while extending his hand toward the fishermen, whose transparent net filled with fish reflects the artist's remarkable attention to detail. He has given them graceful gestures, expressive faces, and softly modelled drapery to move toward greater naturalism while still holding the symbolic gold background inspired from Byzantine tradition. The composition has balanced narration with emotional sensitivity, highlighting a transition from medieval artistic style toward the emerging Renaissance style. The artwork was originally part of the Maestà, however the panel was separated when the altarpiece was dismantled in the 18th century and is now residing in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The painting can be seen as excellent example of religious painting by Duccio di Buoninsegna whose ability to combine the spiritual element with remarkable natural observation as seen in the depiction of the fishes inside the net is commendable.
