Biography

Italian goldsmith. In 1366 Leonardo di ser Giovanni and Betto di Geri received the prestigious commission from the Arte di Calimala to make a silver altar decorated with scenes from the life of St John the Baptist (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence) for the Florentine Baptistery. According to the documents, they were paid in 1366 and 1367, but then the work was interrupted and not continued until 1377, when Leonardo was replaced with Cristofano di Paolo and Michele di Monte.

Conceived on a lavish scale meant to demonstrate the guild's economic power in the city, the altar was not finished until the sixteenth century.