Numerous works on wood complete the career of Ghirlandaio, who was known above all as a fresco painter. They are works which again emphasize his abilities as a colourist, the harmonious pleasantness of his composition, and his faithfulness to certain models of his time and his school.
Ghirlandaio's greatest achievement was the decoration of mainly private chapels with monumental frescoes. That was what he was famous for and why he was in demand. But the furnishings of a chapel also included an altarpiece, and normally this would consist of an altar painting. The altarpieces normally found in Gothic art, consisting of several individual panels, with images painted on a gold background, had largely disappeared by Ghirlandaio's time. A new type of altarpiece had become common: the square panel. Though many of Ghirlandaio's motifs were influenced by Flemish panel paintings, he did not adopt their new technique of painting with oils, but continued to work predominantly with tempera throughout his life. The commission for the Sassetti Chapel in Santa Trinitŕ included a panel painting for the altar of the chapel, while that for the Tornabuoni Chapel a panel painting for the main altar in the church of Santa Maria Novella - the Pala Tornabuoni - and its rear panel facing the apsidal chapel. The altarpiece with the Adoration of the Shepherds from above the altar in the Sassetti Chapel can still be worshipped in its original location, but the ensemble in the Tornabuoni Chapel was dismembered in 1816. The main altar painting is now in Munich, while the rear panel, the Resurrection of Christ is now in Berlin. Another important panel painting, the Adoration of the Magi in the Spedale degli Innocenti, Florence is displayed on separate pages this Gallery.
Summary of works by Ghirlandaio |
1. Early works (1471-73) |
2. Stories of St Fina at San Gimignano (1473-75) |
3. Frescoes in Florence and Rome (1480-84) |
4. Last Supper scenes |
5. Decoration of the Sassetti Chapel (1482-85) |
6. Frescoes in the Tornabuoni Chapel (1486-89) |
7. Panel paintings |
8. Adoration of the Magi (1488) |
9. Drawings |