Contents
Sandro Botticelli
Painting The Birth of Venus and Primavera, two of the most recognisable images of the Italian Renaissance.
Primavera · The Birth of Venus
- Born
- c. 1445
- Birthplace
- Florence, Italy
- Died
- 17 May 1510
More people
Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli was a Florentine painter known for flowing outlines, mythological subjects and religious paintings. His reputation faded after his death before a nineteenth-century revival brought his work renewed attention.
Early life
Florentine roots
Grew up in the Ognissanti neighbourhood of Florence, the son of a tanner.
Workshop training
Trained with the painter Fra Filippo Lippi before establishing his own workshop.
Career
- 1470
His own workshop
Was working independently in Florence, producing religious paintings and portraits.
- 1481–1482
Called to Rome
Painted frescoes for the walls of the Sistine Chapel.
- 1480s
Mythological commissions
Created major paintings for the cultivated circles around the Medici family.
- 1490s–1500s
A religious turn
His later work became more intense and less concerned with the naturalism of younger painters.
Selected work
Primavera
Classical figures appear in an orange grove filled with flowers.
The Birth of Venus
Venus arrives on shore on a shell, blown by the winds.
Venus and Mars
The alert goddess rests beside a sleeping Mars.
The Mystical Nativity
A late religious painting accompanied by an unusual inscription.
Beyond the studio
A local life
Apart from commissions elsewhere, remained closely associated with his Florentine neighbourhood.
Rediscovery
Nineteenth-century artists and critics revived interest in his distinctive line and figures.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Museum or specialist research ↗Photo: Sandro Botticelli; traditionally identified self-portrait detail from Adoration of the Magi. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
