Madonna and Child by the Workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, tempera and gold on wood, 1470. Verrocchio, a great sculptor, painter, and draftsman ran the most prestigious workshop of the last third of the fifteenth century in Florence. (Botticelli and the young Leonardo were among those associated with the shop.) This picture is of fine quality and is based on a design by Verrocchio. It dates about 1470. Although the left side of the Madonna's face is badly damaged, passages such as the Child's head convey the original quality of the painting. A Madonna is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. No image permeates Christian art as the image of the Madonna and child. While Mary may be referred to as "the Madonna" in other contexts, in art the term is applied specifically to an artwork in which Mary, with or without the infant Jesus, is the focus, and central figure of the picture. Mary and the infant Jesus may be surrounded by adoring angels or worshiping saints.