Raffaello, madonna della seggiola, pitti, 1513-14 ca. 02

This circular painting shows the Madonna holding the Christ Child close to her chest, both figures gazing directly toward the viewer. Mary wears a colorful striped shawl and a green garment, seated in a wooden chair with a prominent gold finial. To the right, the young Saint John the Baptist looks on with hands clasped, partially obscured by the tight, intimate framing of the composition.

This work embodies the High Renaissance ideal of divine beauty, which was heavily influenced by Neoplatonic thought regarding the harmony between the physical and the spiritual. The use of the tondo (circular) format was often associated with the concept of cosmic perfection and the divine nature of the subjects depicted.