On the reverse side of the main altar of the Siena Cathedral among the scenes of the Passion of Christ, “there is a picture depicting the morning visit to the Holy Sepulcher by the Myrrh-bearers, one of the best works expressing the poetic world of Duchto.
The painting is based on contrasting the majestic calm of the angel, announcing the resurrection, and the fearful timidity of women standing at the coffin. The composition also follows the traditional canons of Byzantine iconography, but Duccio conveys the drama of the scene with deep emotion, involving in sympathy and the viewer.
The ideological content of the picture is emphasized by a huge rock in the background: a wide rock monolith is illuminated to the left; this light, besides symbolic meaning, has also a compositional function – it contributes to the enhancement of the spatial effect. In the left part of the picture are three women holding in their hands the vessels with incense, with which they intended to bathe the body of Christ instead of embalming.
Duchcho deeply felt their mental state. Fright causes them to cling to each other, their views are riveted to the angel, they ask and are perplexed. Their feelings are expressed on faces, and in gestures, and in frozen figures, as well as in softly modeled chiaroscuros, restlessly wriggling folds of their robes.
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