Andrea del Verrocchio The Virgin Adoring the Christ Child ('The Ruskin Madonna') About 1470

Biography

Born about 1435
Died 1488
Nationality Italian
Birth place Florence
Death place Venice

Verrocchio was a highly skilled Florentine painter, goldsmith and sculptor; Leonardo da Vinci was his most famous apprentice. Leonardo is said to have painted an angel in Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ (Uffizi, Florence) which was so beautiful it prompted Verrocchio to retire from painting and concentrate on sculpture. His most famous sculpture includes the monument of Bartolommeo Colleone on horeseback in Venice, and the sphere on top of the lantern crowning the dome of Florence cathedral. There are few paintings attributed firmly to him, but he strongly influenced the next generation of Florentine painters, including Leonardo and Domenico Ghirlandaio.