Rustici, Giovanni Francesco (1474–1554)

Italian sculptor. Born in Florence, he trained under Andrea del Verrocchio and became a close friend of Leonardo da Vinci. He worked in terracotta and marble, but is best known for his bronzes, notably the group St John the Baptist Preaching (1506–11) over the north door of the Baptistery in Florence. He also worked in France at the invitation of Francis I.