1506_The_Holy_Family_Michelangelo.txt http://www.artbible.info/art/large/508.html Michelangelo Buonarroti 1475 – 1564 The Holy Family tempera on panel (∅ 120 cm) — c. 1506 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence This painting is known as the Doni Tondo. Agnolo Doni was a rich cloth merchant in Florence, and a tondo is a round painting. He probably commissioned this painting at the occasion of the birth of his first daughter. It is the only panel that with certainty can be attributed to Michelangelo. The tondo has a magnificent wooden frame, probably carved by members of the Tasso family. The five heads depict Jesus, two prophets and two sybils. The frame also shows the coats of arms of the Doni and Strozzi families. Agnolo was married to Maddalena Strozzi. The painting itself shows a powerful Mary taking over her child from Joseph. In the background on the right John the Baptist is visible, perhaps standing in a pool used for baptism. That would symbolize the transition from pagan times (the naked youths) to christianity. Michelangelo Buonarroti biography Michelangelo Buonarroti 1475 - 1564 Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect and poet. Generally considered one of the greatest artists ever. He worked in Florence and Rome. Michelangelo receives his formal education from the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio and the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni. In Florence Michelangelo becomes acquainted with Classical antiquity, which will have enormous influence on his work. Via Lorenzo de' Medici Michelangelo meets some of the greatest scientists of his days. In 1496 Michelangelo moves to Rome. One of his first major assignments is for the well-known Pietà in St. Peter's basilica. Back in Florence Michelangelo creates another masterpiece: David (1501-1504), now on display in the Academia. Pope Julius II commissions the decoration of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel (1508-12). The frescoes depict prophets, sibyls and scenes from Genesis. It shows Michelangelo's preference for strong, muscular figures. For four years he paints the ceiling, lying on his back most of the time. He does not paint again until 1536, when he starts the Last Judgment, on the back wall of the Sistine Chapel, finishing the work in 1541. Michelangelo dies in Rome in 1564. He is buried in Florence.