2. As they sat together at the last supper, "Jesus was troubled in
spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one
of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another,
doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus'
bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter
therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of
whom Jesus spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him,
Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a
sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he
gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon." -John 13.
38. The Doni Tondo was probably painted to commemorate
the birth of the first child of Agnoli Dono, the Florentine
banker. It depicts the Holy Family with the infant Saint
John the Baptist. The nude figures in the background
represent pagan mankind before the coming of Christ,
and the infant Saint John creates a link, as a symbol of
baptism, between this old pagan world and the new
Christian world. The frame gives us a clue to the
picture's composition. Five carved heads, with Christ at
the top and possibly the four evangelists, form a
pentagram. These five heads represent the five wounds
of Christ while the round frame, whose circular shape is
a symbol of continuity and endlessness, represents
God. Mary's head, the focal point of the picture, is
perfectly placed within the apex triangle of the star. The
two walls, one on which the nude figures are seated,
and the other which separates the old and new worlds,
are carefully aligned on key horizontals within the
pentagram.
The pentagram is a mystic symbol that has been around
since 3500BCE. It has been adopted by many different
cultures over the centuries. To the Ancient Greeks, it
was a sign of perfection because of the satisfying
'golden section' proportions contained within its
structure. It has been used in an inverted form as a
satanic emblem, but here Michelangelo definitely claims
it as a Christian symbol. www.artyfactory.com/.../
geometry_in_art.htm
83. Why does the CALM DIGNITY of
the High Renaissance end?
• Leonardo dies in 1519; Raphael in 1520
• The Protestant Reformation creates chaos in
the Vatican, causing followers to question the
authority of the Church
• Rome is SACKED in 1527 when the Papal
States collapse in combat with Charles V, who
rules the Holy Roman Empire and Spain
• Pope Clement must pay a ransom for his life
and avoids conflict with Charles V from this
point on
Editor's Notes
LEONARDO DA VINCI, cartoon for Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John, ca. 1505–1507. Charcoal heightened with white on brown paper, 4’ 6” x 3’ 3”. National Gallery, London.
