Cristofano Gherardi

Cristofano or Cristoforo Gherardi, also known as il Doceno,[1] (November 25, 1508 – April 1556) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period, active mainly in Florence and Tuscany.

He was the pupil of the painter Raffaellino del Colle, in whose shop he encountered Rosso Fiorentino and Giorgio Vasari.

In the long interval he had painted the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth for the church of San Domenico, Città di Castello; church decorations in San Sepolcro; and works for the Vitelli,[3] who were long-term patrons.

Gherardi, in the two years left to him, assisted Vasari in the Quartiere degli Elementi in Palazzo Vecchio.

Vasari's main assistant after Gherardi's demise was Jan van der Straat, called Giovanni Stradano.