GHIRLANDAJO, DOMENICO (1449-1494), Florentine painter. His father, Tommaso Bigordi, was a goldsmith, and Domenico was at first apprenticed in that craft, and afterwards placed with Alesso Bigordi to study painting and mosaic. Un fortunately his early works in Florence were destroyed, his earliest extant paintings being at San Gimignano, where he was com missioned to decorate the chapel of S. Fina in the Collegiata in the year 1475. The frescoes representing the death of the local saints already display the characteristics for which his art was to become famous: balanced composition, well-ordered spatial arrangements, fine grouping, characteristic portraiture and clear and powerful draughtsmanship. Here, as in all his larger works, he employed assistants of whom the most distinguished were his two brothers Daniele and Benedetto and his brother-in-law Bas tiano Mainardi. Domenico was essentially a fresco painter; being a consummate master of design, and an insatiate worker, he is said to have expressed a wish to have the entire circuit of the walls of Florence to paint upon. In 1480 he painted the fresco of "St.' Jerome" in the church of Ognissanti at Florence. His "Last Supper" in its refectory is notable for individual action and ex pression. In 1481 he was called to Rome by Pope Sixtus IV., and asked to co-operate in a series of frescoes in the Sistine chapel with his compatriots Cosimo Roselli and Sandro Botticelli. Ghir landajo undertook two of the series but only one has survived: the "Christ calling the first Apostles." The figures are set against a landscape background of lake and mountain scenery, extending into the far distance ; on both sides are groups of onlookers— statuesquely conceived figures portraying contemporary person ages. From 1482 to 1485 he and his assistants were employed on frescoes in the Sala dell' Orologio of the Palazzo Vecchio. The expansive wall surfaces are covered with representations of Roman heroes and with the "Apotheosis of St. Zenobius." The architectural settings, which successfully sustain the composition, prove that Ghirlandajo, like so many Florentine artists, had profited during his sojourn in Rome by studying the ancient archi tecture of that city. In 1485 followed the commission to decorate the chapel of the Sassetti family in the church of S. Trinita with scenes from the life of St. Francis. Three of the principal incidents are "St. Francis obtaining from Pope Honorius the approval of the Rules of his Order," his "Death and Obsequies" and the "Re suscitation of a child of the Spini family." A number of contem porary portraits are introduced. Some of the backgrounds display views of Florence. Ghirlandajo also painted an altarpiece for the chapel representing the "Adoration of the Shepherds." In the same year he was asked by Giov. Tornabuoni to renew the frescoes in the choir of S. Maria Novella, a work which has set the seal on his celebrity. The frescoes, in the execution of which many assistants were employed, are arranged in four courses on the three walls, the leading subjects being the lives of the Virgin and of the Baptist. It is suggested that the lower course was un doubtedly painted by the master himself, the "Birth of the Vir gin" being one of the finest of the series. These grand and digni fied compositions show us the stately life of Florence at the glorious time of Lorenzo the Magnificent and contain portraits of many distinguished men, including members of the Tornabuoni family, the artist and his brothers. The altarpiece of S. Maria Novella, representing the "Virgin in Glory," was also painted by Ghirlandajo, and is now in Munich. Other pictures by the master are the "Virgin and Saints" (1484) in the Uffizi gallery, Florence; the "Adoration of the Magi" (1488) in the Innocenti, Florence; the "Visitation" (1491) in the Louvre, Paris, and "Christ in Glory" (1492) in the Badia of Volterra bearing the latest date. Domenico died of fever on Jan. II, 1494, and was buried in Santa Maria Novella. Although fine portraits abound in his frescoes, there are but few single portraits by him extant ; one is the fine profile of Giovanna Tornabuoni in the Morgan collection ; another, the "Old man with his grandson," in the Louvre. The Uffizi gallery contains fine drawings and sketches by the master. Do menico Ghirlandajo contributed greatly to the development of his art. His great fresco compositions prepared the way for the classic art of the cinquecento ; he may be regarded as an innovator in more than one respect, his art leading towards realism when compared with that of his predecessors ; the plastic conception of his figures, the individualistic tendency in his portraits, his render ing of folds in drapery, his representation of three dimensional space, and his treatment of backgrounds and interiors all point in that direction. Being one of the most popular masters of his time, his influence was widespread, and he was surrounded by pupils and assistants. Michelangelo is said to have studied under him.
The following are some of his leading works : An "Annuncia tion" in the Abbey of Montoliveto near Florence, Leonardesque in style; in 1504, the "Coronation of the Virgin," now in the Louvre, Paris; a "Nativity," very carefully executed, now in the Hermitage, Leningrad; a "Predella," in the Bigallo, Florence, five panels., of the Nativity and other subjects, charmingly finished; in 1514, on the ceiling of the chapel of St. Bernard in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, a fresco of the "Trinity," with heads of the 12 apostles and other accessories, and the "Annunciation"; also the "Assumption of the Virgin, who bestows her girdle on St. Thomas," in the choir loft of Prato cathedral; in 1517 two pic tures, which display his highest skill, replete with expression, vig orous life and firm accomplished pictorial method, now in the gallery of the Uffizi, Florence: "St. Zenobius resuscitating a child"; also the translation of the remains of the same Saint. In the National Gallery, London, is "The Procession to Calvary," painted 1506 for the Antinovi family.