Sandro Botticelli Birth of Venus

Sue Hamric
Art Appreciation 101
Tim Hahn
October 20, 2003


Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli, was a famous painter

of the Florentine Renaissance. Botticelli was born in Florence, Italy in the year 1445. to a

tanner. His nickname Botticelli was derived from Botticello, which means ?little barrel?, it has

been said that the nickname was also his older brothers and was passed down to him at some

time.

Botticelli began as an apprentice under a local goldsmith, next he served an

apprenticeship under Fra Filippo Lippi, a painter. He later worked with the painter and engraver

Antonio del Pollaiuolo from whom his sense of line derived: another one of Botticelli?s influences was Andrea del Verrocchio.
In 1470, by the age twenty-five, Botticelli had his own workshop. Many of his patrons were some of the greatest families in Florence. Above all most of his work was done for the Medici family. Being in the court ...