Ghirlandaio

Domenico Bigordi, born in Florence in 1449, was the first of five children. The nickname “Ghirlandaio” came from his father’s art as a goldsmith. In fact, his father was a famous jeweler excelled for his silver garlands that young Florentine noblewomen wore to adorn their headdresses.

Ghirlandaio worked primarily in Florence, where he became one of the most famous artists of the early Renaissance under Lorenze de’ Medici and the official portraitist of Florentine high society. Having a commissioned painting by Ghirlandaio become a symbol of a family’s power and wealth.

His workshop became the center of artistic life in Florence. Even the great Michelangelo apprenticed and studied there, if for only a brief period, before he moved primarily to sculpture. The lessons he learned as a painter under Ghirlandaio showed in his later frescoes.

Some of his most famous works include a series of Last Suppers as it was common to decorate the refectory of monasteries and abbeys with paintings of this subject. Among the most important of the series were: Badia a Passignano (1476), Ognissanti (1480) and San Marco (1486).

These last two are particularly noteworthy because they are devoid of drama and show an attention to detail which demonstrates the influence of the Flemish masters who were present in Florence at the time.

This post is also available in: Italian French Spanish German Portuguese (Portugal) Russian