Madonna Enthroned with the Child, Saint Francis and Four Angels

The Maestà of Assisi is one of Cimabue's essential works and one of the most significant surviving examples of his activity within the great Franciscan complex at Assisi. The composition depicts the Virgin seated on a throne with the Christ Child, accompanied by four angels and Saint Francis.

Unlike Cimabue's monumental panel Maestà paintings, this image is integrated directly into the architecture of the Lower Basilica and establishes a particularly close connection between Marian imagery and Franciscan identity. The Virgin dominates the composition from an elaborate wooden throne represented with an attempt at spatial depth. The Child sits upon her knee, and together they form the hierarchical and visual centre of the image. Saint Francis is not merely an additional attendant: his presence links the image directly to the Franciscan community for which it was painted.