Andrea del Verrocchio: Encyclopedia - Andrea del Verrocchio

Andrea del Verrocchio

Andrea del Verrocchio (c.1435-1488) was an influential Florentine sculptor, goldsmith and painter who worked at the court of Lorenzo de Medici. His pupils included Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, but he also influenced Michelangelo. He worked in the serenely classic style of the Early-High Renaissance.

He was born in Florence in 1435 and died in Venice in 1488. His family name was Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, but appropriated the name of his master, the jeweler Verrocchio (means "true eye" in italian).

His best-known works include the bronze Christ and St Thomas (c.1465-83) at Orsanmichele. He also produced a bronze statue of David (c.1476 now at Bargello), who is underage, modestly clad in contrast to Donatello's provocative David, and haughtily bragging of his conquest. Finally he completed the Colleoni monument (1479-88) in Venice, which is the first equestrian statue in stone to depict one of the horse's legs in a raised position. In other words, the entire weight of the statue is carried on three legs rather than four. The statue is also notable for the carefully-observed expression of stern command upon Colleoni's face.

Andrea del Verrocchio - Major works

• The Baptism of Christ (1472-1475) - Oil on wood, 177 x 151 cm,

Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

• Madonna with the Saints John the Baptist and Donatus (1475-1483) - Wood, 189 x 191 cm, Duomo, Pistoia
• Saint Monica - Panel, Santo Spirito, Florence
• Tobias and the Angel (1470-1480) - Egg tempera on poplar, National Gallery, London

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