Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494) was an early Renaissance painter noted for his detailed narrative frescoes, which include leading citizens in contemporary dress.

Ghirlandaio's full name is given as Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi; it appears, therefore, that his father's surname was Curradi and his grandfather's Bigordi. Domenico, the eldest of eight children, was at first apprenticed to a jeweller or a goldsmith, most likely his own father. The nickname "Il Ghirlandaio" (garland-maker) came to Domenico from his father, a goldsmith who was renowned for creating the metallic garland-like necklaces worn by Florentine women. In his father's shop, Domenico is said to have made portraits of the passers-by, and he was eventually apprenticed to Alessio Baldovinetti to study painting and mosaic works.

Domecino Ghirlandaio's first major commissioned works were the two frescoes of scenes from the life of St. Fina. In 1481–82 Ghirlandaio received an important commission in the Vatican for a fresco, representing the calling of the first Apostles, Peter and Andrew, in the Sistine Chapel. Ghirlandaio is regarded as one of the most eloquent and elegant narrators of 15th-century Florentine society.

From October of 1916 through January of 1917, Rudolf Steiner gave a series of nine lectures known as the Art Course. These lectures were given the title of: The History of Art. Click here to discover what Steiner said about Ghirlandajo in the first lecture, or in the entire lecture series.