The Taddei Tondo is a circular relief sculpture by the Italian Renaissance

Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...

 artist Michelangelo Buonarroti. The sculpture is located in the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly

Piccadilly

Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...

, central London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is the only marble

Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...

 sculpture by Michelangelo in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

The sculpture was carved by Michelangelo in Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, in 1504–06 and represents a seated Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus who is sprawled across her lap and looking back over his right shoulder towards the infant St John the Baptist who is standing over him and offering him a bird.

Taddei Tondo is the greatest treasure in the Royal Academy’s collection. It was bought by Sir George Beaumont

George Beaumont

George Beaumont may refer to:*Sir George Beaumont, 4th Baronet , English MP for Leicester*Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet , British MP for Bere Alston, amateur painter, patron and collector of Turner and others...

 during a visit to Italy in 1821 and it was left to the Academy in 1830. The Tondo is on display in a purpose-built area on the Sackler Wing level of the Royal Academy.