Vocation of the Apostles

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Vocation of the Apostles
Artist	Domenico Ghirlandaio and workshop
Year	1481–1482
Type	Fresco
Dimensions	349 cm × 570 cm (137 in × 220 in)
Location	Sistine Chapel, Rome

The Vocation of the Apostles is a fresco by the

In 1481 a group of Florentine painters left for Rome, where they had been called as part of the reconciliation project between Lorenzo de' Medici, the de facto ruler of Florence, and Pope Sixtus IV. The Florentines started to work in the Sistine Chapel as early as mid-1481, along with Pietro Perugino, who was already there.

The theme of the decoration was a parallel between the Stories of

Two frescoes are certainly by Ghirlandaio, the Vocation of the Apostles and the Resurrection, which was repainted in the late 16th century due to extensive damage. A third, The Crossing of the Red Sea, in the "Stories of Moses" wall, has been assigned to one among Ghirlandaio, Biagio d'Antonio or Cosimo Rosselli.

Description

In the background left, the fishermen

In the foreground are Peter and Andrew, dressed in cloaks with their traditional colors (yellow-orange for Peter and green for Andrew). They are kneeling beside Christ, who blesses them. A unique element of the fresco is the inclusion of a multitude portrayed in contemporary clothes. Their faces were those of the Florentine community in Rome,[1] who resided near the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

At the left is a white bearded man, perhaps a literate from

• Commissioning of the Twelve Apostles

References

Further reading

• Santi, Bruno (2001). "Ghirlandaio". I protagonisti dell'arte italiana. Florence: Scala.