La commedia illumina Firenze on the wall of Florence Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore

Domenico di Michelino (1417 – 1491) was an Italian painter of the Florentine school and a follower of the style of Fra Angelico. He was born and died in Florence.

Michelino predominantly painted scenes from the Bible. His most famous work can be found in the dome of Florence's church of Santa Maria del Fiore, including La commedia illumina Firenze ("The Comedy Illuminating Florence"), showing Dante Alighieri and the Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy). Along with Dante and the city of Florence, the work depicts Hell, Mount Purgatory, the earthly Paradise (with Adam and Eve) and the celestial spheres.

He took his name from his teacher, a carver in bone and ivory named Michelino. He was elected to the Compagnia di San Luca (painter's guild) in 1442 and joined the Arte dei Medici e degli Speziali in 1444.

[edit] Sources

• Web Gallery of Art biography
• World of Dante Multimedia website that features Domenico di Michelino's painting with interactive features.

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