Andrea del Verrocchio
According to professor Ernesto Solari, curator of a 2016 exhibition of the sculpture, it is innovative, far removed from the classical models the young Leonardo had been familiar with during his time with Andrea del Verrocchio; particularly when Verrocchio was working on the Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni. Solari's interpretation of marks on the statuette includes a signature, a date and a fingerprint, which he assumes to be Leonardo's.