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Coinciding with the Renaissance fascination with the circle, the tondo - or round image - became popular in Florence during the second half of the fifteenth century. Although most tondi were devotional objects, they generally adorned residences rather than churches. Installed above eye level, the tondo was like a window to a heavenly realm where viewers could observe the exemplary actions of beautifully painted holy figures. The oil medium, popularised in Italy in the second half of the fifteenth century, gave the images a new naturalism, with figures that seemed more lifelike than the upright figures in the traditional altarpiece format.
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