Painter, 1448 to 1494
Domenico Ghirlandaio
If you want to know what Florence looked like in the 1480s, its streets, its bedrooms, its clothes and its faces, look at Ghirlandaio. He put all of it on the walls of two chapels.
- Born
- 1448, Florence, Italy
- Died
- 1494, Florence, Italy
- Movement
- Early Renaissance
- In Florence
- 3 works in 3 museums
Where to see Domenico Ghirlandaio in Florence
Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
Santa Maria Novella1 work
The Tornabuoni Chapel
1485 to 1490
The lives of the Virgin and of John the Baptist, behind the high altar. The Birth of the Virgin takes place in a Florentine palace, with the banker's daughter paying a call.
Church of Santa Trinita1 work
The Sassetti Chapel
1483 to 1485
The life of Saint Francis, set in Piazza della Signoria and by the bridge outside the church, with Lorenzo the Magnificent and his sons among the bystanders. The altarpiece is his too.
Museum of San Marco1 work
The Last Supper
about 1486
In the small refectory of the convent: the apostles at a table laid with cherries and glass, with an orchard and birds behind them.
The life of Domenico Ghirlandaio
Domenico Bigordi was the son of a goldsmith known for the garlands he made, which gave the family its nickname. With his brothers he ran a large and reliable workshop, and worked for a time on the walls of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
The boy Michelangelo was apprenticed to him in 1488. Ghirlandaio died of a fever in 1494, at forty-five.
What to know
- Michelangelo was his apprentice
- Painted the Tornabuoni Chapel in Santa Maria Novella between 1485 and 1490
- Filled his sacred scenes with portraits of living Florentines
- Born
- 2 June 1448, Florence, Italy
- Died
- 11 January 1494, Florence, Italy
Domenico Ghirlandaio: common questions
- Where can you see Domenico Ghirlandaio in Florence?
- At Santa Maria Novella: The Tornabuoni Chapel. At the Church of Santa Trinita: The Sassetti Chapel. At the Museum of San Marco: The Last Supper. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
- What is Domenico Ghirlandaio's most famous work in Florence?
- The Tornabuoni Chapel, of 1485 to 1490, at Santa Maria Novella. The lives of the Virgin and of John the Baptist, behind the high altar. The Birth of the Virgin takes place in a Florentine palace, with the banker's daughter paying a call.
- When and where was Domenico Ghirlandaio born?
- On 2 June 1448, at Florence, Italy. Domenico Ghirlandaio died on 11 January 1494, at Florence, Italy, aged about 46.
- What is Domenico Ghirlandaio known for?
- Michelangelo was his apprentice. Painted the Tornabuoni Chapel in Santa Maria Novella between 1485 and 1490. Filled his sacred scenes with portraits of living Florentines. Domenico Ghirlandaio was an Italian painter, of the Early Renaissance.
Tickets and tours: Domenico Ghirlandaio in Florence
Other artists
Painter, 1446 to 1523
Pietro Perugino
Perugino kept a workshop in Florence for years. The Uffizi has his portrait of a Florentine craftsman, the Pitti Palace has his Lamentation, and a quiet convent has his Crucifixion on its wall.
Early Renaissance. 3 works in 3 museums
See the artist
Painter, 1452 to 1519
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo learned to paint in Florence, and the Uffizi has what he made there as a young man: the Annunciation, the angel he added to his master's Baptism, and the Adoration of the Magi he left unfinished.
High Renaissance. 3 works in 1 museum
See the artist
Picture: Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 4.0
Painter and sculptor, 1475 to 1564
Michelangelo
Florence made Michelangelo and kept the David. The Accademia has it with the unfinished Prisoners, the Medici Chapels are his from floor to dome, and his first and last sculptures are a short walk apart.
High Renaissance. 6 works in 5 museums
See the artist