Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy was the location of Andrea del Verrocchio's workshop until the later years of his life when he moved to Venice.  This is where he and a young Leonardo da Vinci worked on creating the palla and cross that topped the lantern on the Florence Duomo.  That project in particular lasted from 1468 to 1471, and 1472 is suspected to be the time that da Vinci's apprenticeship with Verrocchio ended and he began to take on projects of his own.  During this time, it seems he still stayed with Verrocchio as a collaborator until 1476, while simultaneously starting his professional painting career.  From Verrocchio, da Vinci learned about design, drawing and relief, which he carried over into his artwork.

Works Cited:

Bambach, Carmen. Leonardo Da Vinci Master Draftsman: Catalogue to an Exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2003. Yale University Press, 2003.

Parent Map

da Vinci and the Renaissance 2020 Map

Coordinates

Latitude: 43.769560400000
Longitude: 11.255813600000

Timeline of Events Associated with Florence, Italy

Date Event Manage

Verrocchio's Metal Fusing Process

Brunelleschi's Revolving Crane
10 Sep 1468

Verrocchio's Commission

In 1468 it was decided that the appropriate decoration for the lantern Fillippo Brunelleschi had created around 30 years prior was to be a bronze ball (palla) and cross.  A competition was created to determine which artist would be given the honor of creating the palla that was to adorn the top of the Florence Duomo.  While Andrea del Verrocchio was not the winner of the competition, he received the commission to make the palla after the first attempt by another artist was unsatisfactory.  September 10, 1468 marked the day that Verrocchio began his project, along with his colleagues which included a teenage Leonardo da Vinci.

Works Cited:

Bambach, Carmen. Leonardo Da Vinci Master Draftsman: Catalogue to an Exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2003. Yale University Press, 2003.

Neilson, Christina. Practice and Theory in the Italian Renaissance Workshop: Verrocchio and the Epistemology of Making Art. Cambridge University Press, 2019.
27 Jan 1601

Rise and Fall of the Palla del Verrochio

On May 27th, 1471 the bronze ball Verrocchio created was hoisted using a crane to top the lantern and three days later the cross was raised to join it.  Following the completion of the structure, the Florentines are recorded to have broken out into song, singing the Te Deum as they rejoiced.  The palla would remain atop the cupola until January 27, 1601 when a strong lightning strike causes the palla to fall.  It remains missing from the top of the lantern until October of the following year, but the spot where it landed is still marked to this day with a commemorative plaque.

Works Cited:

Neilson, Christina. Practice and Theory in the Italian Renaissance Workshop: Verrocchio and the Epistemology of Making Art. Cambridge University Press, 2019.

“Topping the Dome: from the Lantern to the Verrocchio's Ball - Part 2.” Topping the Dome: from the Lantern to the Verrocchio's Ball - Part 2, Opera Magazine, 5 Aug. 2016, operaduomo.firenze.it/en/magazine/posts/topping-the-dome-from-the-lantern-to-the-verrocchio-s-ball-part-2.

 This circle marks the spot where the Palla del Verrocchio fell in 1601 after being struck by lightning.