Ridolfo Ghirlandaio Facts for Kids

Ridolfo Ghirlandaio. Portrait of a Jeweler, around 1505–10. This painting is in Florence, Italy.

Ridolfo di Domenico Bigordi, known as Ridolfo Ghirlandaio (born February 14, 1483 – died June 6, 1561), was a famous Italian Renaissance painter. He worked mostly in Florence, Italy. Ridolfo was the son of another well-known painter, Domenico Ghirlandaio.

Life of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio
Famous Artworks
Images for kids
See also

Life of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio

Ridolfo was born in Florence. His father died when Ridolfo was only eleven years old. After that, his uncle, Davide Ghirlandaio, who was also a painter, raised him. Some historians say he also learned from the artist Fra Bartolomeo.

Early Career and Influences

Between 1504 and 1508, Ridolfo's paintings showed the strong influence of Fra Bartolomeo. He was also friends with the famous painter Raphael. Raphael even asked Ridolfo to join him in Rome in 1508, but Ridolfo chose to stay in Florence.

In Florence, Ridolfo became one of the most important painters. He created many large paintings for churches, wall paintings (frescoes), and pictures of people (portraits). Many of these artworks can still be seen today.

Ridolfo's Art Workshop

Ridolfo ran a very busy art workshop. Many students learned from him. Some of his well-known students included Michele Tosini, Domenico Puligo, and Carlo Portelli.

Ridolfo was also important for creating art for big public events. For example, he worked on decorations for the wedding of Giuliano di Lorenzo de'Medici. He also helped with the celebrations when Pope Leo X visited Florence in 1515.

Family and Later Life

By 1527, Ridolfo had become quite wealthy. He owned a lot of property. He had a large family with fifteen children. His sons were involved in trade in France and in Ferrara. Ridolfo himself also took part in business.

His family owned a country house (villa) near Florence. This villa still has a small chapel. Inside, there are wall paintings by Ridolfo. They show the Virgin Mary and Child with saints, and members of the Ghirlandaio family praying.

Besides painting, Ridolfo also tried making mosaics. These are pictures made from small pieces of colored glass or stone. It seems only one of his mosaics still exists. It is called the Annunciation and is above a door at the Santissima Annunziata church.

In his old age, Ridolfo became very ill with a condition called gout.

Famous Artworks

Ridolfo Ghirlandaio created many important artworks. These include large paintings for church altars.

Notable Altarpieces

The Madonna della Cintola (1503–09) is above a door at the cathedral in Prato.
The Way to Calvary was made for a church in Florence. It is now in the National Gallery in London.
The Coronation of the Virgin (1504) was originally in Florence. It is now in the Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon in France.
The Nativity was made for a cathedral in Switzerland. It is now at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.

For the Oratory of the Bigallo in Florence, he painted the predella (1515). A predella is a series of small paintings at the bottom of an altarpiece. This one shows five scenes. These include the Nativity, the Flight into Egypt, and the Madonna of Mercy. It also shows the Bigallo organization helping with burials. He also painted several altarpieces for the Santa Maria Nuova hospital in Florence.

Frescoes and Panels

In 1514, Ridolfo finished a major project for the city of Florence. He painted wall frescoes in the chapel of Saint Bernard. This chapel is in the Palazzo Pubblico, now called Palazzo Vecchio. These paintings include the Trinity with the heads of the twelve apostles. There are also arched paintings (lunettes) of the Annunciation and the Vision of Saint Bernard.

In 1517, he painted two large panels. These show Saint Zenobius Resuscitating a Child and the Translation of the Body of Saint Zenobius. These panels are now at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. They were originally placed next to a large Annunciation painting by Mariotto Albertinelli.

Later Works and Portraits

Later works by Ridolfo include the Assumption of the Virgin (1519–24). This painting is now in Berlin, Germany, and includes a self-portrait of Ridolfo. He also painted a Pietà (1521) for a church in Colle di Val d'Elsa. Another work is the Madonna and Child with Saints (1528) for a church in Pistoia.

He painted a portrait of a young Cosimo I de' Medici. Cosimo later became a very important ruler. This portrait is now in the Uffizi Gallery. In 1543, Ridolfo finished a series of frescoes in a monastery in Florence. Many of his last artworks were completed by his student, Michele Tosini. Michele was so close to Ridolfo that he was sometimes called Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio.

Ridolfo's portraits are highly valued. You can find them in museums like the Art Institute of Chicago, the Galleria Palatina in Florence, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

He also created smaller religious paintings. One beautiful example is the Adoration by the Shepherds at the Snite Museum of Art in Indiana. Another small painting of the same subject is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Images for kids

Nativity (detail), 1510. This painting is in Budapest, Hungary.
Madonna and Child with Saint Anne, and Saints Roch and James below, around 1520. This painting is in Prato, Italy.
Annunciation (detail), around 1515. This painting is in Reggello, Italy.
Portrait of Columbus. This painting is in Pegli (Genoa), Italy.
Portrait of a Lady. This painting is in Florence, Italy.
Portrait of a Man. This painting is in Madrid, Spain.
Portrait of Baldo Magni. This painting is in Prato, Italy.
Portrait of a Man. This painting is in Saint Petersburg, Russia.