Doni Tondo presentation

The Doni Tondo

Presentation realized by De Fine Giada and Gabriele Benedetta

01

The Doni Tondo, a masterpiece created by Michelangelo Buonarroti, was painted between 1505 and 1507. Despite being a young artist at the time, Michelangelo had already achieved significant success with his earlier works, earning widespread praise from patrons and the public.During the period when the Doni Tondo was created, Michelangelo experienced a harmonious balance in his life, as his youthful energy and artistic success fuelled his growing confidence in his abilities and talent.

Who are the figures in the frame?

The Doni Tondo frame features intricate decorations, including intertwined plants, animals, and satyrs, as well as five small sculptures of heads that emerge from the base. These heads symbolise Christ, prophets, and sibyls, and their positioning suggests that they are observing and emotionally engaging with the scene within the tondo. The painting itself portrays the Holy Family as the central focus, with a young Saint John the Baptist and additional captivating figures in the background.

A key observation of the Doni Tondo reveals Michelangelo’s belief about painting – that subjects should be created using the same preparatory criteria and meticulous attention to detail, particularly anatomical, as in sculpture. In essence, painting should be “ennobled” by incorporating the conceptuality of sculpture to achieve the perfection of the art of sculpting.

This concept is evident in the central group of the Doni Tondo, where the precise twist of Mary’s body in the foreground conveys tension and movement characteristic of Michelangelo’s sculptures. Joseph, holding Jesus on his lap, completes the harmonious composition.

The lightining

In the Doni Tondo, the subjects are illuminated by a light source originating from the left, spreading across the painting’s surface and highlighting the figures and drapery with varying intensities. This distribution and angle of light result in unique vibrancy and depth in the colours of the garments, which Michelangelo carefully crafted through a harmonious chromatic balance.Light serves as the key element that not only allowed Michelangelo to achieve unexpected colour shades but also enabled him to skilfully present the individual elements in an impeccable perspective.

The backround figures

The nude figures in Doni Tondo’s background symbolise humanity before Christ’s birth, representing people not, yet part of the salvation destined for humanity after Jesus’ arrival. These subjects are depicted naked, but their nakedness is not deformed by sin like the damned souls in the Last Judgment. Instead, it reflects their lack of the salvation message inherent in Christian thinking, much like Adam’s self-awareness in his naked state.

Absolute perfection is undoubtedly achieved in Doni Tondo’s central group, where the beauty of the depicted bodies contrasts with the nude figures behind them. This distinction lies in the dignity and awareness of the central figures, symbolising the fulfilment of an expectation through each chosen pose and, notably, the closed book on Mary’s lap.While some interpret the closed book as a text announcing Jesus’ Passion to Mary, it can also be seen as a symbol of the end of a waiting period, marked by the acceptance of Joseph and Mary, the scene’s protagonists, along with their child.

The chromatic choice in the central group serves not only as a stylistic device but also as a means to emphasise the scene’s conceptual construction

The study of Doni Tondo encompasses not just philosophical and conceptual aspects but also practical elements, enabling a deeper appreciation of the work’s small details. Both the choice of subjects and the shape of the tondo demonstrate an artist’s response to the specific needs of a commissioned piece.