GHIRLANDAIO, Domenico
Biography
Ghirlandaio, Domenico (1449-94). Florentine painter. He trained with Baldovinetti and possibly
with Verrocchio. His style was solid, prosaic, and rather old-fashioned (especially when compared
with that of his great contemporary Botticelli), but he was an excellent craftsman and good
businessman and had one of the most prosperous workshops in Florence. This he ran in
collaboration with his two younger brothers, Benedetto (1458-97) and Davide (1452-1525). His
largest undertaking was the fresco cycle in the choir of Sta Maria Novella, Florence, illustrating
Scenes from the Lives of the Virgin and St John the Baptist (1486-90). This was commissioned
by Giovanni Tornabuoni, a partner in the Medici bank, and Ghirlandaio depicts the sacred story as
if it had taken place in the home of a wealthy Florentine burgher. It is this talent for portraying the
life and manners of his time (he often included portraits in his religious works) that has made
Ghirlandaio popular with many visitors to Florence. But he also had considerable skill in the
management of complex compositions and a certain grandeur of conception that sometimes hints
at the High Renaissance.
Ghirlandaio worked on frescos in Pisa, San Gimignano, and Rome (in the Sistine Chapel) as well
as in Florence, and his studio produced numerous altarpieces. He also painted portraits, the finest
of which is Old Man and his Grandson (Louvre); this depicts the grandfather's diseased
features with ruthless realism, but has a remarkable air of tenderness. Ghirlandaio's son and pupil
Ridolfo (1483-1561) was a friend of Raphael and a portrait painter of some distinction. His most
famous pupil, however, was Michelangelo.
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