“Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni” by Domenico Ghirlandaio

“Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni” by Domenico Ghirlandaio portrays Giovanna degli Albizzi, a Florentine noblewoman. She died in childbirth, giving birth to her second child in 1488, and this painting was painted after her death.

Her husband, Lorenzo Tornabuoni, was deeply stricken by grief and commissioned this portrait of his wife to commemorate and honor her memory.

This panel is a powerful example of the late 1400’s Florentine portraiture. Giovanna has been identified as the subject of this portrait, thanks to her other named portraits, where she has the same hairstyle.

There is also a medallion showing her likeness and her name. Giovanna is depicted in a traditional profile pose, which was favored due to its association with ancient coins and medallions.

The portrait followed the classical style of the period when the body proportions were idealized, and the faces conveyed character without expression.

Giovanna is shown wearing a richly embroidered dress and, in the background, is a selection of her personal belongings, a hanging coral rosary, and a prayers book.

The Latin inscription, taken from an epigram by the 1st century AD poet Martial and the Roman numerals represent the date of his death. The English translation is:

“Would that you Art, could portray her character and spirit; for then, there would be no fairer painting in the world.”

Michelangelo and Domenico Ghirlandaio

During Michelangelo’s childhood, a team of painters had been called from Florence to the Vatican to decorate the walls of the Sistine Chapel. Among them was Domenico Ghirlandaio.

In 1488, at age 13, Michelangelo was apprenticed to Ghirlandaio. When in 1489, Lorenzo de’ Medici, de facto ruler of Florence, asked Ghirlandaio for his two best pupils, Ghirlandaio sent Michelangelo and Francesco Granacci.

Michelangelo was also called to work in the Vatican and painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The student surpassed the Master.

Domenico Ghirlandaio

Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448 – 1494) was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Florence. Ghirlandaio was part of the Florentine Renaissance, together with Verrocchio, the Pollaiolo brothers, and Sandro Botticelli.

Ghirlandaio led a large workshop that included his brothers, his brother-in-law, and later his son. Many apprentices passed through Ghirlandaio’s studio, including Michelangelo.

Ghirlandaio was talented in depicting contemporary life and people within the context of religious narratives, bringing him great popularity and many large commissions.

Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni

Title: Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni
Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio
Year: 1488
Type: Tempera on panel
Period: Italian Renaissance
Dimensions: 77 cm × 49 cm (30 in × 19 in)
Museum: Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

Domenico Ghirlandaio (also spelled Ghirlandajo)

Artist: Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi
Born: 1448 – Florence, Italy
Died: 1494 (aged 45) – Florence, Italy
Buried: Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
Nationality: Italian
Movement: Italian Renaissance
Notable works:
- Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni
- An Old Man and his Grandson

Domenico Ghirlandaio – Portrait of a Lady

My Favorite Renaissance Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio

A Tour of Famous Portrait Paintings

“The Emperor Napoleon I” by Horace Vernet
“Self-portrait with Her Daughter, Julie” by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
“Self-portrait in a Straw Hat” by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
“Portrait of Juan de Pareja” by Diego Velázquez
“In Summer” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
“Portrait of Dr. Paul Alexandre” by Amedeo Modigliani
King Edward VI of England
Elizabeth I of England
“Portrait of Henry VIII of England” by Hans Holbein the Younger
“Portrait of Thomas Cromwell” by Hans Holbein the Younger
Catherine of Aragon
The Chandos Portrait of William Shakespeare by John Taylor
“Sir Thomas More” by Hans Holbein the Younger
“Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” by Gustav Klimt
“Arnolfini Portrait” by Jan van Eyck
“Portrait of Captain James Cook RN” by John Webber
“Ginevra de’ Benci” by Leonardo da Vinci
“Mrs. Fiske Warren and Her Daughter Rachel” by John Singer Sargent
“Portrait of Dr. Paul Alexandre” by Amedeo Modigliani
“The Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci
Portrait of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles
“Young Woman Drawing” by Marie-Denise Villers
“Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan” by Giovanni Bellini
Madame Moitessier ( The National Gallery, London)
“Portrait of Madame X” by John Singer Sargent
“Madame Moitessier” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)
“The Ambassadors” by Hans Holbein the Younger
“Madame Cézanne in a Red Armchair” by Paul Cézanne
“Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni” by Domenico Ghirlandaio
“Whistler’s Mother” by James McNeill Whistler
“Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin” by Vincent van Gogh
“Jeanne Hébuterne” by Amedeo Modigliani
“Self Portrait at the Age of 63″ by Rembrandt
“Self-portrait with Model” by Lovis Corinth
“John Adams” by John Trumbull
“Alexander Hamilton” by John Trumbull