Raffaello, madonna d'alba, 1510 circa, 00

The Virgin sits in a meadow, resting against a tree stump and holding a book while observing the two children. The infant John the Baptist holds a small wooden cross which the Christ Child reaches out to touch, a gesture foreshadowing the Passion. The figures are arranged in a stable, triangular composition perfectly suited to the painting's circular frame.

This work represents the High Renaissance peak of Neoplatonic influence, where mathematical harmony and idealized human beauty were used to reflect divine perfection. The circular tondo format itself was a symbol of the cosmos and the eternal nature of the divine.