Domenico Ghirlandaio (Born 1449) was born in Florence, Italy. He was born to a goldsmith called Tommaso Bigordi. Ghirlandaio was the leading fresco painter and was part of the Florentine Renaissance (the "3rd generation"), along with Sandro Botticelli, Verrocchio and the Pollaiolo brothers. He was the leader of an efficient and large workshop which included his brother-in-law Sebastiano Mainardi, his brothers Benedetto Ghirlandaio and Davide Ghirlandaio, and later his son Ridolfo Ghirlandaio. Many apprentices that passed through his workshop, Michelangelo was among them and was the most famous. This brought him great popularity and many large commissions. Ghirlandaio's outstanding talent was his ability to depict portraits of contemporary people and contemporary life within the context of religious narratives. Ghirlandaio painted well-filled, sweeping but simple compositions and easy portrait likenesses. He was aware of contemporary Flemish painting and was interested in classical antiquity.
Ghirlandaio preferred working in tempera and did a number of panel paintings. He did this though he undoubtedly was familiar with the oil technique. One of hid most appealing panels is the 1488 painting titled Adoration of the Magi. As in most of his work, the colors tend to be rather full of contrast and harsh. However, the scene has a charm and quiet piety. The painting includes a fine landscape viewed through the posts of the shed behind the Child and the Virgin. Ghirlandaio did well in the painting of frescos and he is best known for his fresco cycles. In 1470, he was commissioned by the Commune of San Gimignano of the Collegiate Church to decorate the Chapel of Santa Fina.
