Video Resource

Verrocchio Documentary

Sculpted in clay, a toddler balances his plump body on his right foot as he raises his left leg and right arm. In ths photograph, his body is squared to us. His left hand, on our right, rests near his hip. Gazing up and to our left, his cheeks are puffed in blowing through pursed lips, and his hair falls in soft ringlets. The fingers of his raised hand are folded into a loose fist. Tipped slightly forward onto his toes, he balances on a gold-half dome.
Andrea del Verrocchio, Putto Poised on a Globe, c. 1480, unbaked clay, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.128

Made in conjunction with the exhibition Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence, this 17-minute documentary explores the career of an exceptionally versatile artist. Andrea del Verrocchio (c. 1435–1488) gained fame as a sculptor whose masterpieces in bronze rival ancient sculpture in their naturalism and expressiveness. A favorite of the Medici, the de facto rulers of Florence, Verrocchio was also a celebrated painter and draftsman whose workshop became a training ground for the preeminent painters of the High Renaissance, including his apprentice and pupil, Leonardo da Vinci. Narrated by Academy Award nominee Glenn Close, the film includes new footage of the original settings of the artist’s works in Florence, Pistoia, and Venice. Produced by the department of exhibition programs, National Gallery of Art. This film is available to be licensed in digital format to affiliates.

Support for the film was provided by the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC.

The film was also made possible by the HRH Foundation.

30 minutes

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