Tondo Doni

the Holy Family with the platform (or Tondo Doni ) is a painting of Michel-Angel currently being with the Galerie of the Academy to Florence. This painting, at the same time with the Moderated and with oil, was realized between 1503 and 1504.

This circular table bears also the name of Tondo Doni because it was ordered by Angelo Doni, a Tisserand rich person, at the time of his marriage with Maddalena Strozzi. Tondo is a term indicating a circular work which is often associated with the marriage in the Rrenaissance.

On this painting, the group in the center is made of Joseph tightening the child Jesus with the Blessed Virgin. One can see behind the low wall on their left Saint Jean Baptiste child. Behind them, young people Ignudi are, who are naked characters. These pagan beauties allow a mixture of pagan and the monk whom one often finds in the work of Michel-Angel, as in the Chapelle Sixtine.

All these people can be regarded as allegorical: the naked characters with the background correspond at the time preceding the law by Moïse: the Paganism; in the foreground, the Virgin and the Christ child represent the time of the New Testament; Saint Jean Baptiste symbolizes the intermediate stage of the Old Testament.

This work perhaps considered as initiating the Mannerism.

Tondo Doni

See too