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The picture shows one of the 26 narrative scenes from the Stories of the Passion on the reverse side of the Maestà. It is situated in the upper row on the left side above the scene of Pilate Washing his Hands.
The scene on the Way to Calvary, as Duccio represents it, has the specific purpose of acting as an intermediary between past and future events. On the one hand, the slender, erect figure of Christ, with his hands still tied, refers the onlooker to the various stages of the trial. On the other hand, the direction in which all the characters are moving (to the right, towards the panel with the Crucifixion) and the cross borne by Simon of Cyrene, allude to the terrible conclusion.
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