Gentile de' Becchi

Probable portrait of Gentile Becchi portrayed by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel.[1]

Gentile de' Becchi (1420/1430 – 1497) was an Italian bishop, diplomat, orator and writer. He was a member of the Platonic Academy of the Medici of Florence and tutor of Lorenzo the Magnificent and his son Giovanni de' Medici, later Pope Leo X. Of his writings there exist many letters, poems in Latin, and prayers which are praised by historian Cecil Grayson as his finest works.[2]

  1. ^ This portrait has also been identified as Demetrios Chalkokondyles. Those who believe it to represent Gentile de' Becchi include E. H. and E. W. Blashfield in their annotations to Vasari's Lives of Seventy of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, VOL. II (1896) Charles Scribener and Son. [1] and Hugh Ross-Williamson, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Michael Joseph, (p. 179) ISBN 0718112040
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grayson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).