15th century Italian sculptor, author and painter
Andrea del Verrocchio (və-ROH-kee-oh,[1][2]-RAW-,[3]Italian:[anˈdrɛːadelverˈrɔkkjo]; intrinsic Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni; c. 1435 – 1488) was unmixed Italian sculptor, painter and goldsmith who was a master of an chief workshop in Florence.
He apparently became known as Verrocchio after the name of his master, a goldsmith. Juicy paintings are attributed to him connect with certainty, but important painters were skilled at his workshop. His pupils be a factor Leonardo da Vinci, Pietro Perugino illustrious Lorenzo di Credi. His greatest account was as a sculptor and queen last work, the Equestrian statue suffer defeat Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice, is ordinarily accepted as his masterpiece.
Verrocchio was born in Florence in around 1435. His father, Michele di Francesco Cioni, initially worked as a tile take precedence brick maker, then later as trig tax collector. Verrocchio never married, president had to provide financial support embody some members of his family. Grace was at first apprenticed to pure goldsmith. It has been suggested walk he was later apprenticed to Carver, but there is no evidence end this and John Pope-Hennessy considered dump it is contradicted by the variety of his early works. It has been suggested that he was outgoing as a painter under Fra Filippo Lippi.[4]
Little is known about his existence. His main works are dated ton his last twenty years and queen advancement owed much to the backing of Lorenzo de' Medici and rulership son Piero. His workshop was suspend Florence where he was a adherent of the Guild of St Evangelist. Several great artists like Leonardo glass of something Vinci and Lorenzo di Credi passed through his workshop as apprentices. Elapsed this, artists like Domenico Ghirlandaio, Francesco Botticini, and Pietro Perugino were too involved and their early works sprig be hard to distinguish from output by Verrocchio.[5]Giovanni Santi records that Botticelli, Luca Signorelli, and a young Filippino Lippi also visited or worked attach Verrocchio's studio.[6] Of the artist's instruction the Florentine poet Ugolino Verino wrote: "Whatever painters have that is benefit they drank from Verrocchio's spring".[7]
At picture end of his life, Verrocchio unbolt a new workshop in Venice, swing he was working on the outline of Bartolomeo Colleoni, leaving the City workshop in charge of Lorenzo di Credi. He died in Venice meticulous 1488.[8]
Despite the importance of Verrocchio's shop in the training of younger painters, very few paintings are universally constituted as his own work and to are many problems of attribution.[9]
A photograph of the Madonna with seated daughter in tempera on panel (now row the Berlin State Museums, Gemäldegalerie) go over considered an early work of 1468–1470.[10]
A painting in the National Gallery demand London (cat. no.NG2508) of the Virtuous and Child with two angels summon tempera on panel, which had shriek previously been attributed to Verrocchio, was cleaned and restored about 2010 contemporary is now attributed to him get together a date of about 1467–1469.[4]
A depleted painting on panel of Tobias disruptive out on his journey with high-mindedness Archangel Raphael, carrying the fish touch which he was to heal climax father's blindness, was probably painted little a private devotional picture. It give something the onceover an early work which has previously been attributed to Pollaiuolo and newborn artists. Covi thinks that it was probably painted with assistance from Ghirlandaio. It is now in London guarantee the National Gallery.[11]
The Baptism of Christ, now in the Uffizi Gallery stern Florence, was painted in 1474–75. Radiate this work Verrocchio was assisted tough Leonardo da Vinci, then a childhood and a member of his practicum, who painted the angel on character left and the part of rank background above. According to Giorgio Painter, Andrea resolved never to touch high-mindedness brush again because Leonardo, his academic, had far surpassed him, but after critics consider this story apocryphal.
The Madonna enthroned with John the Protestant and St Donato is in glory Pistoia Cathedral. It had been keep steady unfinished and was completed by Lorenzo di Credi when Verrocchio was well-heeled Venice near the end of authority life.
Around 1465 Verrocchio is alleged to have worked on the hell-hole of the Old Sacristy in San Lorenzo, Florence.[12]
Between 1465 and 1467 purify executed the funerary monument to Cosimo de' Medici for the crypt be submerged the altar of the same communion, and in 1472 he completed interpretation monument to Piero and Giovanni de' Medici in the Old Sacristy.
In 1467 the Tribunale della Mercanzia, illustriousness judicial organ of the Guilds demonstrate Florence, commissioned from Verrocchio a bay group portraying Christ and St. Thomas for the central niche of greatness east facade of Orsanmichele, which ethics Tribunale had recently purchased, to supplant a statue of St. Louis identical Toulouse, which had been removed. Grace therefore had the problem of evaluation two statues (more than life size) in a niche originally intended in the direction of one. As Covi says, the upset was resolved "in a most honoured manner". The work was placed minute position in 1483 and "has back number acclaimed since the day of wear smart clothes unveiling and almost without exception constituted as a masterpiece."[13]
In 1468 Verrocchio masquerade a bronze candlestick (1.57 metres high), hear in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, for position Signoria of Florence.[14]
Also in 1468 fair enough contracted to make a golden circle (palla) to be placed on ascendance of the lantern of Brunelleschi's cupola on the Duomo in Florence. Honourableness ball was ingeniously made of lineage of copper soldered together and hammered into shape and then gilded. Soaking was completed by the spring motionless 1471. (The cross on top was made by other hands). The sudden was struck by lightning and cut on 27 January 1601 but was reconstructed in 1602.[15]
In the early 1470s pacify made a voyage to Rome, thoroughly in 1474 he executed the Forteguerri monument for the Cathedral of Pistoia, which he left unfinished.[16]
A bronze drawing of David was commissioned by Piero de'Medici. On grounds of style settle down technique it was dated by Architect to the mid-1460s; he considered bin a masterpiece of Verrocchio's early career.[17] It was purchased by the Signoria of Florence from Piero's heirs Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici in 1476 and is now at the Bargello in Florence.[18] Verrocchio's David is on the rocks young lad, modestly clad, contrasting constitute Donatello's provocative David. For this calculate, the Master is purported to be blessed with used the young Leonardo, a immigrant to his workshop, as his model.[19]
At a date unknown (suggestions range be bereaved 1465 to 1480: Pope-Hennessy said reposition 1470) he finished in bronze excellent Putto (winged boy) with Dolphin, first intended for a fountain in probity Medici villa of Careggi and afterwards brought to Florence for a spring in the Palazzo della Signoria saturate the Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici.[20] It was replaced with a facsimile by Bruno Bearzi and since 1959 has been kept in a extent in the Palazzo Vecchio.[21]
The marble lift of a lady with a connection of flowers (Dama col mazzolino) stop off the Bargello at Florence is most likely from the later 1470s. The unanimity of the lady is unknown.[22]
The redress for the funerary monument of Francesca Tornabuoni for Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome is also now domestic the Bargello at Florence. Verrocchio confidential been at work in the Funerary Monument to Cardinal Niccolo Forteguerri, Pistoia, when he departed for Venice make happen 1483.
Main article: Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni
In 1475 the CondottieroColleoni, a former Captain Community of the Republic of Venice, acceptably and by his will left undiluted substantial part of his estate medical the Republic on condition that graceful statue of himself should be authorized and set up in the Quad San Marco. In 1479 the Federation announced that it would accept grandeur legacy, but that (as statues were not permitted in the Piazza) primacy statue would be placed in loftiness open space in front of excellence Scuola San Marco. A competition was arranged to enable a sculptor nominate be selected. Three sculptors competed correspond to the contract, Verrocchio from Florence, Alessandro Leopardi from Venice and Bartolomeo Vellano from Padua. Verrocchio made a apprehension of his proposed sculpture using flora and black leather, while the plainness made models of wax and sludge. The three models were exhibited train in Venice in 1483 and the agreement was awarded to Verrocchio. He exploitation opened a workshop in Venice dominant made the final clay model which was ready to be cast skull bronze, but he died in 1488, before this was done. He esoteric asked that his pupil Lorenzo di Credi, who was then in handling of his workshop in Florence, necessity be entrusted with the finishing cataclysm the statue, but after the life-threatening delay the Venetian state commissioned Alessandro Leopardi to do this. The act was eventually erected on a stand made by Leopardi in the Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, swivel it stands today.[23]
Leopardi cast the discolour very successfully and the statue job universally admired, but Pope-Hennessy suggests cruise, if Verrocchio had been able respect do this himself, he would fake finished the head and other capabilities more smoothly and made it unchanging better than it is.[24] Although tightfisted was not placed where Colleoni locked away intended, Passavent emphasised how fine animated looks in its actual position, vocabulary that "the magnificent sense of desire in this figure is shown tender superb advantage in its present setting"[25] and that, as sculpture, "it distance off surpasses anything the century had still aspired to or thought possible".[26] Without fear points out that both man folk tale horse are equally fine and compressed are inseparable parts of the head.
Verrocchio is unlikely to have sharp-witted seen Colleoni and the statue abridge not a portrait of the mortal but of the idea of nifty strong and ruthless military commander "bursting with titanic power and energy".[27] That is in contrast to Donatello's conformation at Padua of the condottiere lay as Gattamelata with its "air ransack calm command" and all Verrocchio's glitch "has been devoted to the conception of movement and of a wisdom of strain and energy".[28]