Born the son of a goldsmith in 1457 or 1459, Lorenzo di Credi was, with Leonardo da Vinci and Perugino, a pupil in the Florentine workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, where he is first recorded in 1480 as a poorly paid assistant
During the master's absence in 1482-1483, Lorenzo took over the shop, and he became Verrocchio's heir upon Andrea's death in 1488.