Fresco, 99 x 85 cm (size of detail) Palazzo Pubblico, Siena
Maestà, the Italian word for "majesty", designates an iconic formula of the enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus , whether or not accompanied with angels and saints. The Maestà is an extension of the "Seat of Wisdom" theme of the seated "Mary Theotokos", "Mary Mother of God", which is a counterpart to the earlier icon of Christ in Majesty, the enthroned Christ that is familiar in Byzantine mosaics.