Florentine Workshop Culture

Renaissance art came not from isolated genius but from a competitive workshop system that trained artists from childhood. Boys joined around age twelve, spending years grinding pigments, preparing panels, and copying drawings before touching a real commission.

The master-apprentice bond produced remarkable chains of talent. Verrocchio's workshop alone trained Leonardo da Vinci, Perugino, and Lorenzo di Credi — much of the next generation grew out of a single Florentine studio.