Raphael, Madonna and Child, 1505, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin (2) (40171445222)

The figures are arranged in a harmonious grouping within a circular tondo format, set against a wide landscape with rocky hills and distant city walls. The infant Jesus reaches toward a scroll held by Saint John, while the third child looks on from the right. The work is framed by an elaborate gilded border decorated with carved fruit and foliage.

The use of the tondo (circular) format in Renaissance art was often associated with the Neoplatonic ideal of divine perfection and the 'circle of grace.' Raphael’s pursuit of geometric balance and idealized beauty reflects the influence of the Florentine Neoplatonists who sought to reconcile Christian doctrine with classical philosophical concepts of harmony.