Andrea del Verrocchio
Raeed Chowdhry
Period 3
Andrea del Verrocchio, born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de’ Cioni, was a
Florentine sculptor, painter, and goldsmith. He was born circa 1435 in Florence to Michele di
Francesco Cioni, a tile and brick marker who later became a tax collector. He began to rise to
prominence, principally due to encouragement by Piero de’ Medici and his son Lorenzo, only
after the death of Donatello in 1466. He became the owner of an important workshop in
Florence, where a number of important painters were taught. He moved to Venice in the late1480s, where he opened a new workshop. He died on October 10, 1488, a few years after
leaving Florence.
Significant Accomplishments
Unfortunately, the authorship of many of Andrea del Verrocchio’s paintings is not
universally recognized, and there are many problems regarding ascription. Due to this, a
number of his works have been credited to other artists, such as Pollaiuolo, Domenico
Ghirlandaio, Francesco Botticini, and Pietro Perugino. However, some proven
accomplishments of Andrea del Verrocchio include: The Statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, Putto
with Dolphin, the Madonna and Child with Saints, a bronze statue of David (with the head of
Goliath at his feet), Tobias and the Angel, Equestrian Statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, and Christ
and St. Thomas (in the Orsanmichele). Three works that Andrea del Verrocchio created during
the early, middle and late portions of his career, in respective order, are: a painting of the
Madonna with the seated child in tempera, The Baptism of Christ, and the Statue of Bartolomeo
Colleoni (cast by Alessandro Leopardi).
Influence/Importance
Initially, Andrea del Verrocchio was apprenticed to a goldsmith supposedly named
Giuliano Verrocchio, from whom he apparently took his last name. Some suggest that he later
became apprenticed to Donatello, while others think that he was a trainee under the painter Fra
Filippo Lippi. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support either claim. Later in life, he
opened a workshop in Florence and taught many protégés, including Leonardo di Vinci, Lorenzo
di Credi, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Francesco Botticini, and Pietro Perugino.1 Over the last two
decades of his life, Verrocchio also influenced other artists both directly and indirectly, like the
painters Domenico Ghirlandaio (Michelangelo’s master), Sandro Botticelli, and Francesco di
Giorgio; as well as the illustrious Florentine sculptors Benedetto de Maiano and Andrea
Sansovino. Verrocchio is especially remembered for his most-revered undertaking: the
Equestrian Statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni.2
1
Perugino later became the teacher of Raphael.
It is believed that Verrocchio’s motive behind making this was to outdo Donatello’s Equestrian Statue of
Gattamelata at Padua.
2
Bibliography
The Gale Group Inc. “Andrea Del Verrocchio.” Encyclopedia of World Biography,
Encyclopedia.com, 2004, www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/european-art-1599biographies/andrea-del-verrocchio.
The National Gallery. “Andrea Del Verrocchio.” The National Gallery,
www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/andrea-del-verrocchio.
Passavant, Günter. “Andrea Del Verrocchio.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia
Britannica, Inc., 19 May 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/Andrea-del-Verrocchio.
Ranepa4, Tajotep, Archaeodontosaurus, InternetArchiveBot,
2601:191:4181:7fc:9c0e:4a9d:5412:dc67, PrimeBOT, Rich Farmbrough, 96.33.118.146
,Benthrosby,ClueBot NG,68.145.238.235 ,Oshwah, Cena Arz, Oursana, etc. “Andrea Del
Verrocchio.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Feb. 2018,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_del_Verrocchio#Life.
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