Which Italian Renaissance painter created the fresco cycle in the Tornabuoni Chapel in Florence?

Domenico Ghirlandaio created the fresco cycle in Florence’s Tornabuoni Chapel.

Giovanni Tornabuoni commissioned the decoration for the family chapel in Santa Maria Novella. Ghirlandaio and his workshop painted the cycle between 1485 and 1490, illustrating episodes from the lives of the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist.

The scenes place sacred stories in settings that resemble contemporary Florentine streets, palaces, and ceremonies. Members of the Tornabuoni family and other local figures appear among the biblical characters, turning the chapel into both a religious space and a visual statement of family prestige.

The cycle also includes work by the young Michelangelo, who trained in Ghirlandaio’s workshop before becoming an independent artist. Workshop participation means not every passage was painted solely by Ghirlandaio’s hand.