Goldsmiths

'Goldsmiths were the princes among the artisans of the Middle Ages, with a large scope to explore their numerous and varied talents. They could decorate a manuscript with gold leaf, set precious stones, cast metals, work with enamel, engrave silver, and fashion anything from a gold button to a shrine, reliquary, or tomb. It is no coincidence that the sculptors Andrea Orcagna, Luca della Robbia and Donatello, as well as the painters Paolo Uccello, Andrea del Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, and Benozzo Gozzoli'some of the brightest stars in a remarkable constellation of Florentine artists and craftsmen'had all originally trained in the workshops of goldsmiths.'

'Ross King, Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, 2000. This post is for my other nephew, Smith Dean.