
a circular painting, relief carving, plaque, or mural design. The tondo, which became popular in Italy during the 15th century, was derived from round reliefs of subjects such as the Madonna and Child that had been used in wall tombs. Circular reliefs were developed successfully as glazed terra-cotta medallions by Luca della Robbia (Della Robbia, Luca) in the mid-15th century. Sandro Botticelli (Botticelli, Sandro) painted a number of tondi, including
The Madonna of the Magnificat and
The Madonna of the Pomegranate (both in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence). About 1506 or 1508, Michelangelo used the form for a painting of the
Holy Family (Uffizi) commissioned by the Doni family.