UFFIZI, Michelangelo_Room A38

As soon as you go into the room dedicated to Michelangelo and the Florentine artists of the 1600s, you'll notice a curious circular painting depicting the Holy Family with St. John that's better known as the Doni Tondo.

It is Michelangelo's only panel painting that is intact and completely of his hand. Stop for a moment to admire it, not only because it's a must, but because it's yet another opportunity for you to take in the extraordinary artistic originality of the master who made David.

Michelangelo had just returned to Florence after having been glorified in Rome for his Vatican sculpture Pietà when the work was commissioned by the wealthy banker Angelo Doni, perhaps for his wedding. If you find the shape odd, you should know this form was very popular and traditional in early 16th-century Florentine painting....