Domenico Ghirlandaio

Timeline

1. 1448–1480Florence · FlorenceHe grew up in a goldsmith's family, later studying painting and inlay with Alesso Baldovinetti and others, and built a workshop centered on his brothers. In the 1470s he completed his early important frescoes in the Sassetti Chapel of the Basilica of the Assunta at San Gimignano, and with his precise, pleasing, and rapid group style became the de facto portraitist of Florentine high society.
2. 1481–1482Sistine Chapel, Vatican · Sistine ChapelIn 1481–1482, at the invitation of Pope Sixtus IV, he decorated the Sistine Chapel side walls alongside Perugino, Botticelli, Cosimo Rosselli, and others. Ghirlandaio led scenes such as the 'Calling of the Apostles,' embedding Florentine contemporary portraits into biblical narratives, demonstrating his ability to orchestrate large wall surfaces and numerous figures.
3. 1483–1494Florence · FlorenceHe decorated the Sassetti Chapel in Santa Trinita for Medici banker Francesco Sassetti (c. 1483–1486) and led the choir frescoes in Santa Maria Novella for Lorenzo's uncle Giovanni Tornabuoni (c. 1485–1490), embedding many portraits of Florentine notables in biblical scenes. On 1 April 1488 he formally signed a three-year apprenticeship contract with Michelangelo, teaching him the fresco process. He died on 11 January 1494.