Artwork

Watercolour, copy after The Visitation, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence)

Watercolour, copy after The Visitation, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence) is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

The copy presents the Virgin Mary and Saint Elizabeth meeting in a courtyard, their hands joined, surrounded by a small group of women.

This watercolor, executed by Cesare Mariannecci, reproduces Domenico Ghirlandaio’s fresco of the Visitation originally painted for the Tornabuoni Chapel in Florence’s Santa Maria Novella. The copy presents the Virgin Mary and Saint Elizabeth meeting in a courtyard, their hands joined, surrounded by a small group of women. The scene is set against a backdrop of classical architecture, trees and a distant mountainous horizon, rendered in a muted palette.

Subject & Meaning

The composition illustrates the biblical encounter between Mary and Elizabeth, a moment traditionally interpreted as a mutual recognition of their forthcoming roles as mothers of Christ and John the Baptist. The central gesture of clasped hands emphasizes the shared joy and divine purpose, while the surrounding figures suggest a communal witness to the holy visitation.

Technique & Style

Mariannecci’s version employs watercolor on paper, favoring softer hues and more fluid brushwork than the original fresco. The artist lightens the tonal range, allowing a gentle illumination to fall on the faces and garments of the figures. Architectural details and the distant landscape are suggested with delicate washes rather than the precise linearity of the fresco.

History & Provenance

The copy was commissioned by the Arundel Society, an organization dedicated to disseminating reproductions of Renaissance art, though it never appeared in the Society’s published series. After remaining in private hands, the work entered the collection of the National Gallery in London, from which it was sold to its present owner in 1995.

Context

Ghirlandaio’s original Visitation, completed in the late 15th century, exemplifies the Florentine Renaissance’s integration of narrative clarity with architectural framing. Mariannecci’s watercolor reflects the 19th‑century interest in reproducing such masterpieces for educational purposes, translating a monumental fresco into a portable, study‑grade image.

Artist & collection

Artist

Domenico Ghirlandaio

Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi (2 June 1448 – 11 January 1494), professionally known as Domenico Ghirlandaio (also spelt as Ghirlandajo), was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Florence.