The Marriage of the Virgin

Davide Ghirlandaio's Marriage of the Virgin from about 1479 depicts the betrothal of the Virgin Mary and Joseph, a subject that allowed Florentine painters to display their skills in depicting architectural settings and festive ceremony. This panel likely belonged to the same narrative cycle as Davide's other scenes of sacred history. The Marriage of the Virgin was among the most frequently painted subjects in Florentine devotional art.

The tempera and gold on wood shows the Ghirlandaio workshop's facility in multi-figure narrative composition with clear spatial organization. The architectural backdrop and ceremonial arrangement of figures demonstrate the rational, perspectival approach characteristic of late Quattrocento Florentine painting.