Structure of The Cycle
The cycle portrays on three walls the Life of the Virgin and the Life of St John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence. The left and right walls each have three rows, each divided into two rectangular scenes framed by fictive architecture, and surmounted by a large lunette beneath the vault. Each side wall has a total of seven narrative scenes which are read beginning from the bottom.
The chancel wall has a large mullioned window of three lights with stained glass, provided in 1492 by Alessandro Agolanti after Ghirlandaio's design. On the lower part of the wall is a donor portrait of Giovanni Tornabuoni and his wife Francesca Pitti, while on either side of the window are four smaller scenes portraying Dominican saints. Above the window is another large lunette, containing the Coronation of the Virgin. In the vault are depicted the Four Evangelists.
The life of the Blessed Virgin The scenes are on the left side of the chapel:
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The life of St John the Baptist The scenes on the right side of the chapel are:
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Dominican saints and the donors The scenes of the upper and lower tiers of the central wall are:
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The four Evangelists Depicted on the vault are:
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Read more about this topic: Tornabuoni Chapel
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