Tondo Doni from the Uffizi Gallery is the very masterpiece of Michelangelo, where painting becomes almost a sculpture filled with the deepest meaning.
Tondo Doni (or Madonna Doni) is the only non-monumental painting Michelangelo, which is considered completed, and whose authorship is beyond doubt.
A tondo is a piece of painting or sculpture in a round format, about a meter in diameter. Paintings and reliefs in the shape of a circle were extremely common in Florence during the early Renaissance. Throughout the 15th century, the most noticeable and bright artists worked with tondo, traditionally depicting religious subjects on them. Rich Florentines ordered tondos both for their palazzos and as expensive gifts for weddings and holidays.
In 1504, Michelangelo Buonarroti lives and works in Florence. Hishas just been installed in Piazza della Signoria, in the heart of the young republic. The news of the giant statue of a perfectly beautiful naked man spread throughout Europe. And there was no star brighter than Michelangelo!
A young sculptor, originally from Florence, who glorified his city... he became a real celebrity and the most sought-after master. Soon rumors of his genius will reach Pope Julius II himself, who will invite him to Rome with great respect. But for now Michelangelo is inundated with orders from wealthy Florentines: everyone wanted to get his work.
Agnolo Doni couldn’t stay away either. A merchant, a wealthy textile merchant, a philanthropist, a collector of ancient and “modern” art, he was one of the most enlightened, famous and respected people in the city.
In 1504, a magnificent wedding takes place in Florence: Agnolo Doni marries Maddalena Strozzi, a representative of a wealthy family of Florentine bankers.
It is quite possible that it was in honor of this celebration that Doni turned to Michelangelo and ordered from him an image of the Virgin Mary in tondo format, the creation of which is connected with a fascinating story that has come down to us in the Lives of Giorgio Vasari.
When Michelangelo finished the tondo, he sent him with a messenger to Agnolo's house with a message to receive 70 ducats for it. Doni, a philanthropist and art connoisseur, immediately realized that Michelangelo’s work was so good that it was worth much more. But, being a prudent merchant, he decided that 40 ducats would be enough for the artist, which he handed to the messenger. Agnolo was fully confident that the artist would not dare to argue and bargain with such a powerful and respected person. But Michelangelo, known for his difficult character, flew into a real rage, sent 40 ducats back, ordering the messenger to return either with the painting or with double the price. Agnolo, already ready for 70, as in the saying about the stingy, was forced to send Michelangelo 140 ducats.
A year later, Agnolo Doni will turn to and will order a double portrait from him with his young wife. And you must agree, Raphael perfectly conveyed the character of Agnolo Doni, this smart but calculating Florentine.
What amazed Agnolo Doni so much, who was ready even for double the price?
Michelangelo places an intimate family scene in the center of the composition: the Virgin Mary hands over her son, the baby Jesus Christ, to Joseph.
A description by Giorgio Vasari has been preserved: “Here Michelangelo expresses in the turn of the head of the mother of Christ and in her eyes, fixed on the highest beauty of her son, his wonderful satisfaction and excitement<…>But since this was not enough for Michelangelo to show in yet to a greater extent the greatness of his art, he painted many nude bodies against the background of this work - leaning, standing upright and sitting, and he finished this whole thing so carefully and so cleanly that of all his paintings on wood, and there are few of them, it is rightly considered the most complete and most beautiful."
The Holy Family is separated by a small wall, in the background there are naked young men resembling antique statues, so beloved by Michelangelo. And the figurine of the baby John the Baptist is placed in such a way that it seems to connect these scenes.
There are several ways to read this work.
According to one, Tondo Doni is a contrast between the old, pagan world and the new time of Christianity and the coming of the Savior. Perhaps this group of naked people, gathered in a semicircle in the manner of antiquity, are pagans awaiting baptism, the sacrament of which is traditionally associated with the figure of John the Baptist.
And according to another version, naked men symbolize homosexual relationships, which were often attributed to Michelangelo, and which were condemned by the Christian church.
The technique with which Michelangelo completed the work amazed and continues to amaze everyone without exception. An unusually solid composition and rich color scheme make the tondo expressive, bright and unforgettable. It is impossible to believe that its creator did not consider himself an artist at all. On the contrary, Michelangelo did not like painting, considering the chisel and hammer to be his tools.
At the same time, he amazingly managed to work with these very instruments, like a brush (just remember the Pieta). And to paint pictures as if he were carving them out of marble: after all, the naked hands of the Virgin Mary seem completely alive!
The lively plasticity of figures is another unconditional advantage of Tondo Doni. Michelangelo was an artist and sculptor who was extremely attracted to the human body. He was not at all interested in portraying ethereal images. Of course, nude male body movement is the main thing in Michelangelo's art. But even when depicting clothed characters, Mary and Joseph, Michelangelo achieves maximum authenticity of movements and poses. After all, he, who is passionate about anatomy, knows all the secrets and positions of the human body like no other artist.
The Virgin Mary handing over the baby Jesus Christ to Joseph is depicted in an unusual movement. This turn seems to twist the entire composition in a spiral, making it whole and expressive.
Pose of the Virgin, found by Michelangelo, certainly during preparatory work. After all, for each of his projects, Michelangelo made dozens of drawings from life. It was this situation that unusually inspired Raphael Santi, a young and impetuous artist who arrived in Florence at that time, wanting to study with Michelangelo and Leonardo.
Tondo Doni will be an endless source of inspiration for Rafael. He uses this twisting movement in the painting “Entombment”: a girl in this position supports the Virgin Mary, who has fainted from grief.
And years later, in Rome, where Raphael would achieve extraordinary fame, become a leading artist, chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica and keeper of antiquities, he would not forget Tondo Doni. In 1512, he will create the altarpiece “Madonna di Foligno”, and his Jesus Christ will be so similar to the baby from the Tondo Doni. This is exactly how, inspired and entering into dialogue, Raphael expressed his deep admiration for the genius of Michelangelo Buonarroti, “a simple sculptor from Florence.”
Madonna
Brugge
The Madonna and Child was originally one of the sculptures commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini for his chapel in Siena. It was supposed to be located in a large niche at a height of nine meters, above the main altar in the Piccolomini family chapel. Thus, the audience had to look at her from bottom to top. This explains some of the disproportion of the sculpture and the downward gaze of the Mother of God and the baby.
But during the work, disagreements arose between the sculptor and the customer. The very principled cardinal wanted to first receive a sketch of the work in order to be sure that the sculpture would not show any liberties in composition and nudity. Michelangelo, however, chose to follow his inner vision and sculpted little Jesus naked.
The sculptor's friend, the banker Giovani Balducci, introduced Michelangelo to his client, an influential merchant from Jan de Mouscron, whose family traded in Flemish cloth in Italy. The latter made a generous offer to pay one hundred ducats for the sculpture.
Since the 13th century, the Flemish city of Bruges had close trade relations with Venice, Florence, Genoa and other Italian cities. One of the main branches of the Medici family bank was located in Bruges.
In a letter dated January 13, 1506, Michelangelo asks his father to leave the sculpture in a box, in family home and don't show it to anyone.
On August 14, 1506, Giovanni Balducci writes from Rome to Florence: “I have heard that Francesco del Puglise can send the sculpture to Viareggio, and from there to Flanders. If you agree with the shipping price, I ask you to send it to Bruges to its rightful owners Jan and Alexandre Mouscron.”
In October 1506, the sculpture was transported to Italian city Lucca and then Bruges. "Madonna and Child" was the only job masters who left Italy during his lifetime.
Thanks to an agreement dated November 23, 1514 and preserved in the city archives of Bruges, it is known that the rector and churchwardens of the Church of Our Lady accepted a luxurious altar and a statue of Our Lady and Child as a gift. In return, donors were given several privileges.
The sculpture was placed in a black marble niche in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the brightest and most pleasant part in Bruges.
Columns made of red stone contrast with black marble niches, and in 1768 two side sculptures, allegories: Faith and Hope, by sculptor Peter Peters, were added to the composition.
In front of the altar lies a tombstone restored in 1829, decorated with the family coat of arms of Pieter de Mouscron, son of Jan de Mouscron. According to the inscription on the slab, the altar standing in front of the sculpture was also his gift.
After the attack on the Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, during which the maniac damaged the sculpture with a hammer, church authorities decided to protect the sculptural group with bulletproof glass.
Michelangelo Buonarroti. Biography. “The Descent from the Cross.” "Madonna of Bruges". “Madonna and Child.” Tondo “Madonna Doni”. Tomb of Pope Julius II.
There are many mysteries in the history of art. One of them was Michelangelo Buonarroti's unfinished painting "The Removal c cross”, which has long caused fierce controversy. Experts agreed that it corresponded to the early style of Michelangelo, but doubt remained whether it belonged to the brush of the master himself or was still a talented fake.
In 1981, all disputes were put to an end thanks to the discovery of documents proving that in 1500 Michelangelo accepted an order to create an altarpiece for the Roman church of San Agostino. In 1501, without completing the work, he left for Florence and subsequently returned the money received for the painting.
on the picture:Michelangelo Buonarroti.Tondo "Madonna"Pitti"
Live in hometown by that time it had stabilized. In 1498, as a result of the intrigues of Florentine leaders and the papal throne, the turbulent life of Savanarola and his two followers ended terrible death(they were burned in Piazza della Signoria). Centuries have passed, taking away old passions and enmity. All that's left is the memory. Today in Florence the streets of Michelangelo and Torrigiano, who disfigured him and after his expulsion became famous sculptor, lie very close, and the Florentines annually sprinkle the site of Savanarola’s death not even with roses, but with rose petals.
End XV century is significant for world art and Michelangelo with the creation of the legendary “David”.
Read more about the masterpiece of world sculpture, the “David” statue, on portal 2 queens. ru.
After David, Michelangelo created a small (1.27 meters high) sculptural group of the Madonna and Child, which he completed in 1504. This is one of Michelangelo's most believable, tender and spiritual Madonnas. The “Madonna of Bruges” is named after the Dutch city of Bruges, the former center of the Northern Renaissance, where it still adorns Notre Dame Cathedral.
“Tondo” is the name given to a round-shaped painting or relief. The famous tondo “Madonna Doni” is not quite a tondo; this work by Michelangelo is slightly larger in height than in width. It got its name in honor of Agnolo Doni, a prosperous Florentine weaver who commissioned the painting for his wedding. The original frame was probably designed by Michelangelo himself. Tondo Doni is the only completed and extant painting by the artist on wood.
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| Michelangelo Buonarroti.Tondo "Madonna Doni" |
Michelangelo's interest in painting begins with the "Madonna Doni", but it should be noted that, while performing paintings, he thinks like a sculptor: he created the picture in full agreement with his early reliefs “Tondo Tadei” and “Tondo Pitti”.
Michelangelo comes to realize the possibilities of painting, which can not only repeat sculpture, but also convey such complex positions of bodies that are not available in sculpture. This was the beginning of the journey to painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
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| Michelangelo Buonarroti.Tondo "Madonna of Tadei" |
In 1505, Michelangelo urgently left Florence for Rome. The reasons for this urgency lay in the latest changes in political life in Italy: Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, a representative of an impoverished aristocratic family, ascended the papal throne. He began his rise in the Catholic hierarchy in 1471, when his uncle was elected pope under the name Sixtus IV . Giuliano chose the papal name Julius because all his life he tried to imitate the military genius of Julius Caesar. Like other pontiffs of that time, Pope Julius was not only a religious figure, but also a military leader. During his pontificate, the warlike Julius II personally led the papal troops in a number of military campaigns and managed to annex a large territory in northern Italy to the papal state. This pope also became famous for his philanthropy.
Michelangelo's fame reached Rome. At this time, the position of chief architect of the Vatican was held by the Florentine Giuliano da Sangallo, a friend of Michelangelo, who actively recruited his fellow countrymen to serve the pope. Michelangelo also received an invitation on behalf of the pope to come to Rome. The Pope decided to ensure his immortality with the help of a brilliant sculptor - he ordered Michelangelo to build a tomb. One could only dream of such an order: regardless of the capabilities of the depleted treasury, the pope provided Michelangelo with unlimited funds and materials and promised not to constrain his creative imagination.
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| Michelangelo Buonarroti. Tomb of Pope Julius II |
Michelangelo set to work energetically; he went to the quarries of Carrara, where c two assistants spent more than eight months selecting marble for the tomb. The amount of extracted marble, from which Michelangelo planned to sculpt 40 sculptures, amazed all of Rome: it took (!) 70 carts to transport it. But in Rome, Michelangelo received unpleasant news - during the sculptor’s absence, Pope Julius lost interest in this project and stopped funding the work. The offended Michelangelo immediately left Rome for Florence, without even saying goodbye to Pope Julius. The pope sent him in pursuit demanding that he return. But (unheard of impudence in those days!), Michelangelo refused. Papa Julius II wanted to return Michelangelo to Rome at any cost, threatened, insisted. And after long negotiations in Bologna, their reconciliation took place.
As a sign of reconciliation, Michelangelo accepted an order to make a statue of the pope for the church of San Petronio. A statue of the pope was placed on the facade of the church in Bologna, which the pope annexed to his domains. But when Bologna regained its independence, the statue suffered a sad fate: it was melted down, and “the bronze was sold to Duke Alfonso of Ferrara, who poured a cannon out of it and named it Julia.” (Vasari)
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| Michelangelo Buonarroti."Descent from the Cross" |
The collapse of plans related to the tomb of Pope Julius II , plunged Michelangelo into deep depression. “In this tomb I buried my youth,” he wrote sadly in 1542. In 1513, dad died, and a long-term lawsuit began between the artist and a relative of the deceased. The contract for the tomb was concluded 6 times over 37 years, until finally the monument was installed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli. In 1545, Michelangelo finally finished work on the tomb, but it was only a pale shadow of the original plan.
Read more about Michelangelo's works in our following materials.
photos from websites : newliturgicalmovement.org, princeamsterdam.blogspot.com, flickriver.com, myartprints.com, artmight.com, italian-renaissance-art.com
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ALL PHOTOS
Over the weekend, believers in the Church of St. Peter in the small town of Acerra near Naples witnessed an unusual phenomenon.
Many parishioners claim that they allegedly saw the statue suddenly change and move its foot, Tgcom reports.
Moreover, people say that this is not the first such episode. Over the past 15 days, the statue allegedly moved several times, but this was kept silent so that there was time to check it and so as not to make unnecessary noise.
However, many people witnessed the “miracle” over the weekend and the news spread within a few hours. People suffering from various ailments, women, and children immediately rushed to the church. They all reunited in prayer near the statue of the Madonna. People started talking about a miracle.
“I saw her legs moving under her dress, as if she wanted to meet the believers halfway. Her knees moved forward, first the right leg, then the left, so that the folds on the marble dress were smoothed out. This is not an illusion, many saw it,” says one of witnesses.
Over the course of several days, more and more residents of a town located near Naples have become convinced that the figure of the Virgin Mary is moving, and many are ready to swear, first of all, a group of women who, a few days ago, noticed a change in the silhouette of the Virgin Mary while cleaning church premises. Some argue that the statue’s knees are bent in a new way, others say that the bedspread on the Madonna, also made of marble, lies in unusual folds.
The statue of Madonna Acerra is beginning to become a collective phenomenon and a miracle captured by mobile phones, writes Corriere della Sera. Believers proclaim a miracle and, to support their words, constantly take photos, first of all, with the help of mobile phones, in order to document the “changes in position” of the statue (translation on the website Inopressa.ru).
The priest Don Oreste prefers to take a cautious position: “Personally, I didn’t see anything, so I can’t say anything.” However, he immediately warned the bishop of the diocese of Acerra, Giovanni Rinaldi, who had not yet transmitted the information to the Vatican: “Internally I do not believe it, but I will evaluate the documents and evidence in order to decide on the appointment of a commission.”
“In the 27 years that I have been in this city, this is the first time I have heard of such things. I think this phenomenon should be approached with extreme caution, as one treats things that defy understanding,” Bishop of Acerra Don Antonio Riboldi told Mattino.
Don Riboldi explains the increased attention of believers as follows: “There is so much suffering in the world, and people to the greatest extent those predisposed to this want to see a sign of God in what is happening.”
This sensation became so widely known that thousands of believers had already gathered in front of the Church of St. Peter in Acerra. The crowd became huge and firefighters had to close the doors of St. Peter's Church. The believers, however, did not give up, and on Sunday during the midday mass the basilica was crowded with people confident that they were seeing a miracle.
Meanwhile, as RIA Novosti reports with reference to the ANSA agency, on Monday the church was still closed to pilgrims. This was done at the request of the specialists who came here, who decided to calmly examine the statue of the Virgin Mary and understand what happened.
Let us remember that several years ago in Italy small plaster sculptures of Madonnas were crying. The red liquid that poured from the eyes of the figures was taken for examination. Scientists then declared that it was real human blood.
Moreover, the figurines were X-rayed, but no voids or secret mechanisms were found in them.
Less than a month ago in Italy, a statue of Saint Pius, who, according to Italians, knew how to perform miracles during his lifetime and continues to perform them after death, began to cry tears of blood. Until now, the reason for this phenomenon remains a mystery.
Michelangelo Buonarroti.Madonna of Bruges. 1501-1504 Madonna di Bruges
Height 128. Church of Our Lady, Bruges
"Madonna of Bruges" - marble statue Madonna and Child Christ, 128 cm high, made by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1501-04. shortly after the completion of the Vatican Pietà. This is the only statue of Michelangelo, which, during his lifetime, was taken from Italy to decorate the Church of Notre Dame in the city of Bruges.
The composition was commissioned from Michelangelo by Cardinal Piccolomini. But during the work, disagreements arose. Michelangelo fundamentally wanted to sculpt the baby Jesus naked, while the cardinal considered this unacceptable.
Disagreements led to the cardinal apparently abandoning the sculpture...
A merchant from Bruges, Mouscron (Moscheroni), who once visited Michelangelo in his workshop, decided to buy the sculpture. Michelangelo did not want the sculpture to leave Italy and set an incredibly high price for those times of 100 ducats, but the merchant paid. At the end of 1506, the sculpture was transported to Bruges.
The statue, probably originally intended for a church altar, departs in many respects from church canons. Madonna does not hug her son to her and does not even look at him, her gaze is directed to the side, as if the fate destined for him had been revealed to her. Christ, it seems, is ready to leave his mother and enter the world of people.
In this modest work, which reveals a line of images in Michelangelo’s work, marked by features of a peculiar lyricism, Madonna herself is especially attractive, in which classical beauty and inner strength personalities are combined with soft poetry and nobility. You can feel the hand of the master who sculpted the Roman Pietà in it.
The Madonna and Child from Bruges is one of Michelangelo's most beautiful and spiritual Madonnas. A sad woman, chosen and doomed, she foresees her son's suffering on the cross. Her gaze is directed into the distance, an expression of inescapable sadness is frozen on her face. The Baby, cheerful and inquisitive, with a large curly head, evokes completely different feelings. With her childish spontaneity and serenity, she seems to emphasize the immensity of her mother’s future grief.
STONE IRVING.
“That’s why she resisted, did not want to let go of this beautiful, strong and agile boy, who grabbed her protecting hand with his little hand. And that’s why she covered her son with the edge of her cloak. The boy, sensing his mother’s mood, also had sadness hidden in his eyes.
He was full of strength and courage, soon he would jump off his mother’s lap and leave this safe refuge, but now, at this moment, he grabbed his mother’s hand with one hand and pressed the other to her thigh. Perhaps he is thinking now about her, about his mother, saddened by the inevitable separation: her son, so trustingly clinging to his knees, will soon wander the world alone.” Stone Irving.
The master no longer idealized Mary’s face, as in early works. Having created the Roman “Pieta” and “David”, he is looking for feeling, believability: modest clothes with flowing folds outline the strong body of a young mother, a face with heavy eyelids from unshed tears, a long nose, Thick hair in a simple hairstyle, covered with a heavy hood, as this piece recalls the Pietà.
The baby's body, although childish, gives a feeling of hidden power, but is childishly cute - plump cheeks and chin, curly head. At his mother’s knees, holding her hand, he feels protected and ready to explore the world. The position of the bodies of the sculptural group is very natural - what could be more plausible than the Mother and Child from Bruges?