Sandro Botticelli Self-Portrait (Presumed)
Sandro Botticelli(1445-1510)
Sandro Botticelli was born in Florence, the son of a tanner. He was given his father’s surname, di Mariano Filipepi, but it is by his nickname, Botticelli (‘little barrel’), that he is best known. (‘Sandro’ too is short for Alessandro.)
Botticelli trained as a goldsmith after schooling, but by 1460 he was apprenticed to the monk and notable Renaissance artist Filippo Lippi. By 1470, Botticelli had established his own practice and developed contacts with the wealthy Medici family, who were patrons of his master.
In the 1480s, Botticelli produced his most successful paintings through their patronage. He was also summoned to Rome in 1481 by the pope to contribute wall paintings for the newly erected Sistine Chapel.
Botticelli’s star began to wane in the 1490s, in the light of the ascendancy of his younger contemporaries Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. He never married and died in relative obscurity in 1510.
Botticelli trained as a goldsmith after schooling, but by 1460 he was apprenticed to the monk and notable Renaissance artist Filippo Lippi. By 1470, Botticelli had established his own practice and developed contacts with the wealthy Medici family, who were patrons of his master.
In the 1480s, Botticelli produced his most successful paintings through their patronage. He was also summoned to Rome in 1481 by the pope to contribute wall paintings for the newly erected Sistine Chapel.
Botticelli’s star began to wane in the 1490s, in the light of the ascendancy of his younger contemporaries Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. He never married and died in relative obscurity in 1510.
bot-ih-chel-ee/ˌbɒtɪˈtʃɛli/