Cod: 59392

Author : GIOVANNI BATTISTA VERROCCHIO (FIRENZE 1494-1564)

Period: 16th century

JOHN THE BAPTIST VERROCCHIO (FLORENCE 1494-1569) The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist, by Andrea del Sarto, called Holy Family Physicians Oil on canvas, cm. 108 x 86 INEDITO We thank Roberto Prof.Ciabattini to have identified the author and to have provided the following information. The painting is a copy of the famous Holy Family Physicians of Andrea del Sarto, which is located in Florence in the Palatine Gallery Pitti Palace, inv. , 1912, n. 81 (see A.Natali, a.Cecchi, Andrea del Sarto. Complete catalog, Florence 1989, pp.. 137-138), but which is reproduced because of its importance in almost all monographs by Andrea del Sarto. These had the painting for Messer Ottaviano de 'Medici, made famous for its interesting story. The painting remained in Florence, and then copied by many artists Florentine art lovers of Andrea. Of this painting we know many replicas by Andrea del Sarto (Two even made by Vasari). Giovanbattista del Verrocchio was discovered for the first time in 2001 by Louis Alexander Waldman, who has published a first core of his work, together with the documents of numerous payments that have been made by the monks of the Badia Fiorentina. Giovanbattista del Verrocchio, the grandson of Andrea del Verrocchio, the documents that Louis Waldam tracked, we learn that becoming a painter of confidence of the Badia Fiorentina, performs for these monks numerous devotional paintings of modest size. It is always paid by these monks, for the execution of paintings of candles, crucifixes for gilding and other works of less account to be sent to various churches in Tuscany who were employed by the Badia Fiorentina. His most important work for the time being known and disclosed is the altarpiece of the Three Archangels, which is located in Castle (Pistoia), in the Parish of Santa Maria and Niccolao [1], which was employed by the Badia Fiorentina, where the monks also send a large blade Bachiacca, discovered by myself, still in use today, reported the scholar Louis Alexander Waldman (see D.Franklin, LAWaldman, Two late altarpieces by Bachiacca, in Apollo, August 2001, p. 30-35). The work of Verrocchio sure Giovanbattista were previously assigned to Puligo, the Master of Volterra, the former Master of the Kress Landscapes now discovered how Larciani John (1484-1527), Francis Frost (c. 1540 1586), Andrea piccinelli said Brescianino (1506 ca. - 1525), and the circle of Rosso Fiorentino (1495-1540). The mode of operation of Giovanbattista, especially in the early paintings, in which a copy models from Andrea del Sarto (like a shovel), approaches in an impressive way the style of the artist Puligo and out of his shop, which certainly was part also known as the Master of Volterra. Giovanbattista del Verrocchio has a son named Thomas del Verrocchio, he too was a painter, working with Vasari to the realization of some of the frescoes in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Soon will come an article of Prof. Roberto Cobblers on him with many unpublished works that he discovered in recent years. Bibliography: LAWaldman, The Rank and File of Renaissance Painting: John Larciani and the Florentine Eccentrics, in Italian Renaissance Masters, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2001, p. 24-45. It is definitely an artist who comes from the workshop of Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio (1483-1561), influenced by the works of Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530) and in particular Puligo Domenico (1492-1527), of which copy some of their works . It is very close to the way in which some artists in vogue at that time in Florence: Michael Tosini (1503-1577), Pier Francesco Foschi (1502-1567) and Francesco Bachiacca (1494-1557).