Doni Tondo (Doni Madonna)

Michelangelo, circa 1503

Oil and tempera on panel

120 cm diameter , 47 ½ in diameter

Uffizi, Florence

The Doni Tondo or Doni Madonna is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti (c. 1503), the only known preserved panel picture by the Florentine artist. It is preserved in the Uffizi of Florence in its original frame, designed by Michelangelo himself. The painting was most likely commissioned by Angelo Doni, a wealthy weaver, to commemorate his marriage to Maddalena Strozzi of the Strozzis, a powerful Tuscan family, famous for their opposition to the Medici rule. The painting is in the form of a tondo, or round frame, which is frequently associated with marriage in the Renaissance. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1576x1622, 203 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Doni Tondo ... Year 1503 (MDIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... ‹ The template below (Unit of length) is being considered for deletion. ... The narrow courtyard between the Uffizis two wings creates the effect of a short, idealized street. ... Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe. ... Michelangelo (full name Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni) (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564) was a Renaissance sculptor, architect, painter, and poet. ... The narrow courtyard between the Uffizis two wings creates the effect of a short, idealized street. ... Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ...

Michelangelo employed two media for this work, tempera and oil. By applying the oils in successive glazes from intense color to the lightest value, in the manner of tempera painting taught to him as an apprentice, Michelangelo created a quite different coloristic effect to that of Flemish painters at the time. Flemish painters used the opposite oil painting technique of shading from highlights down to darker tones of pigment. Michelangelo’s changing coloristic effect is called cangianti and is typical of his painting style. A 1367 tempera on wood by Niccolò Semitecolo. ... Mona Lisa, Oil on wood panel painting by Leonardo da Vinci. ...

The painting depicts the Christ child being presented to the viewer by his mother Mary and father Joseph. This composition of presentation may be referring to the patron of the piece’s name Doni, in Italian "gifts", and helps to solidify its patronage. Behind the main figures, several nude male figures are painted in the background. The meaning of this addition of nude male figures is debated for it has no obvious relation or biblical precedents to the scene in the foreground. The inclusion of these nude figures is by no means unusual in Michelangelo’s work, however, as can be seen in his other works, including the famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel (Italian: ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, in the Vatican City. ...

Although Michelangelo did not consider himself a painter (and often it appears he complained of the medium), the Doni Tondo is a beautifully rendered work. The drapery is sharply modeled with brilliant colors. The monumental figures appear to be sculpted with paint rather than marble, his preferred medium, and as such they appear to have true weight.

Sources

Hartt, Frederick (2003). History of Italian Renaissance Art: Fifth Edition, 506-507.