Question 1

Where can I see Andrea del Verrocchio's work?

Accepted Answer

Paintings and sculptures by Andrea del Verrocchio can be found in museums across Europe and the United States. In Florence, Italy, his work is held at the Galleria degli Uffizi and the Museo Nazionale del Bargello; the latter holds his marble *Bust of a Woman Holding a Nosegay*.

Examples of work attributed to Verrocchio are in the Louvre, Paris; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; and the Art Institute of Chicago. Other European museums that hold paintings by artists from Verrocchio's circle include the Bode Museum, Berlin, and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham.

Verrocchio led an active workshop in Florence that trained artists in painting, sculpture, and goldsmithing. Leonardo da Vinci was his student; Leonardo's style was founded on his master's. It can be difficult to distinguish Verrocchio's hand from that of his assistants.

Question 2

What should I know about Andrea del Verrocchio's prints?

Accepted Answer

Andrea del Verrocchio, who was born in Florence in 1435 and died in Venice in 1488, was a versatile artist. He led an active workshop in Florence that trained artists in painting, sculpture, and goldsmithing. Leonardo da Vinci was his most famous pupil; others included Perugino.

Verrocchio was a painter, sculptor, and accomplished draughtsman. Surviving copies of his warrior images suggest a market existed for his work during the late 1470s and early 1480s. Other works from this time show a taste for fantastic armour. One example is a parchment drawing by Marco Zoppo of a warrior, which is held at the British Museum.

Verrocchio's silver reliefs of the Decapitation of St John the Baptist, now in Florence's Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, also demonstrate this interest. Lorenzo the Magnificent commissioned fanciful shields and costumes for parades. The armour's ornamentality may come from the late gothic taste for elaborate decoration, seen in manuscripts with foliage. The variety in the armour reflects Alberti's idea that modern artists should include *varietà* in their compositions.

Question 3

Why are Andrea del Verrocchio's works important today?

Accepted Answer

Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488) was a highly versatile Florentine artist of the early Renaissance; he worked as a goldsmith, sculptor, and painter. Today, he is still significant for his own artistic output and for his influence on other artists.

Verrocchio led a busy workshop in Florence that trained many artists, including Perugino and Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo’s artistic foundations were based on his master’s style; Leonardo's hand has been recognised in some of Verrocchio’s paintings and sculptures.

Verrocchio was a favourite artist of the Medici family by the mid-1460s. For them, he created the tomb of Cosimo de' Medici (1464-1467) in the church of S. Lorenzo, and, around 1470, that of Cosimo's sons, Giovanni and Piero, in the same church's sacristy. He also produced a bronze statue of David (now in the Bargello) and the Putto with a Dolphin (circa 1480-1485), now in the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio. His bronze statue group Christ and Doubting Thomas (unveiled in 1483) remains on Orsanmichele.

Question 4

What techniques or materials did Andrea del Verrocchio use?

Accepted Answer

Andrea del Verrocchio, a versatile Florentine artist born in 1435, was skilled in various media. He was a painter, sculptor, goldsmith and draughtsman.

Verrocchio's workshop was a training centre for artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Perugino, and others. Leonardo's style was built upon his master's teachings, and his hand is identifiable in some of Verrocchio's works.

Verrocchio worked with clay, sometimes adding wool fibres for strength. For example, his *Putto Poised on a Globe* (circa 1480) is made of unfired clay over an iron armature. Quartz was added to the clay to prevent cracking.

He also worked with terracotta, sometimes adding polychromy, as seen in Francesco di Simone Ferrucci's *Adoration of the Shepherds* (1475-1485), a piece attributed to Verrocchio's workshop.

For bronze sculptures, he used the lost-wax method. Examples of his bronze work include a candelabrum for the Palazzo Vecchio (1468-1469), the sarcophagus of Giovanni and Piero de’ Medici (1472), and the statue of David (1476). He also carved marble, such as his *Bust of a Woman Holding a Nosegay*.

Question 5

Who did Andrea del Verrocchio influence?

Accepted Answer

Andrea del Verrocchio (born 1435) led an active workshop in Florence that trained artists to be goldsmiths, sculptors, and painters. Leonardo da Vinci was perhaps the most well-known product of Verrocchio’s tutelage. Leonardo's drawings and paintings are founded on his master’s style, and his hand can be recognised in some of Verrocchio’s own paintings and sculpture.

Other artists who trained with Verrocchio include Perugino and Lorenzo di Credi (1459-1537). Perugino, born in 1446, may have studied the science of colouring and the chemical properties of colours with Verrocchio. Lorenzo di Credi was still working under Verrocchio at the age of twenty-one. A tender friendship united Lorenzo and his master, who named him his executor. Fiorenzo di Lorenzo of Perugia also appears to have worked in Verrocchio’s studio. His first dated work, the altarpiece in the Gallery of Perugia (1472) shows that he was influenced by the Florentine master.

Question 6

Who influenced Andrea del Verrocchio?

Accepted Answer

Andrea del Verrocchio (born in Florence, 1435) was a versatile artist. He worked as a goldsmith, sculptor, painter, and draughtsman. He led an active workshop in Florence that trained artists in various media, including painting and sculpture.

His pupils included Perugino, Lorenzo di Credi, and Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo’s drawings and paintings are founded on his master’s style; his hand can be recognised in some of Verrocchio’s paintings and sculpture.

According to Vasari, Verrocchio’s evolution as an artist was influenced by the masterpieces of antiquity in Rome. However, another view suggests that Leonardo, who quickly transformed from pupil to master, influenced Verrocchio. This influence caused the beauty in Verrocchio’s work to mature, as seen in works such as the *Disbelief of St Thomas*, the Angels of the Forteguerra monument, and the equestrian statue of Colleone.

Verrocchio reacted against the cold austerity of Tuscan masters Mino di Fiesole and Matteo Civitale di Lucca. He favoured a somewhat unhealthy type of beauty, with pensive and melancholy figures.

Question 7

What is Andrea del Verrocchio's most famous work?

Accepted Answer

Andrea del Verrocchio, born in Florence in 1435, was a versatile artist. He worked as a goldsmith, sculptor, and painter. He is known for training Leonardo da Vinci, whose style was influenced by his master.

Verrocchio's painting *The Baptism of Christ*, circa 1475, in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, is among his most recognised works. The poses of the figures show the artist's sculptural skill. Christ turns towards John the Baptist, who appears to enter the scene. The foreground is dominated by line, while colour is used in the background. Leonardo da Vinci assisted his master on this painting.

Verrocchio's bronze statue of *David*, completed by 1476, is another noted piece. In 1483, his *Christ and Doubting Thomas* was unveiled at Orsanmichele. A diarist at the time called it "the most beautiful thing imaginable". It is the only work added to Orsanmichele in the second half of the fifteenth century that contains more than one figure and a narrative. He also created the tombs of Cosimo de' Medici (1464-1467) and Cosimo's sons, Giovanni and Piero de' Medici (circa 1470). Verrocchio died in Venice in 1488.

Question 8

What style or movement did Andrea del Verrocchio belong to?

Accepted Answer

Andrea del Verrocchio (born around 1435, died 1488) was a Florentine artist of the early Renaissance, also known as the Quattrocento. He was a versatile artist, working as a goldsmith, sculptor, and painter.

His sculptures, such as *The Incredulity of Thomas* (commissioned sometime after 1462), show an interest in textures, the play of light, and illusion. The figures' poses and gestures convey the drama of the scene. The sculpture shares qualities with contemporary paintings, indicating a cross-media artistic approach.

Verrocchio's painting, such as *The Baptism of Christ* (c. 1475), also displays his sculptural sensibilities. The figures' poses are carefully considered, and their anatomical details are precisely rendered. The robes and exposed body parts are traced with sharpness.

Verrocchio led a workshop in Florence that trained artists in various media. Leonardo da Vinci was among his pupils. Leonardo's drawings and paintings were founded on his master's style, and his hand can be recognised in some of Verrocchio's own paintings and sculpture.

Where to See Andrea del Verrocchio

Where to see Andrea del Verrocchio

Bargello National Museum

Victoria and Albert Museum

Louvre

National Gallery of Art

British Museum

Bode Museum

Kupferstichkabinett Berlin

Gabinetto dei disegni e delle stampe

Gemäldegalerie Berlin

National Gallery

Hermitage Museum

National Galleries Scotland

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Rijksmuseum

Kupferstich-Kabinett Dresden

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Frick Collection

Yale University Art Gallery

Musée Jacquemart-André

Courtauld Gallery

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