About the Artist

Born Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, worked mainly in his native city. He first learned the craft of Goldsmithing before becoming a student of fra Filippo Lippi. Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Andrea del Verrochio, and later Ghirlandaio and Perugino, all had a stimulating influence on his art. The Humanist circle of lorenzo de'Medici (1449-1492) also provided him with important inspiration. Botticelli painted idealized pictures of classical mythology that are full of atmosphere and people with powerfully imaginative figures. These poetic and sensuous works are not only an expression of the Renaissance mindset, but also symbols of worldy power and the cotemporary political situation. As the leading Florentine painter, Botticelli received the commission for three large frescoes in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican around 1482. Major works include Pieta,c.1490, Alte Pinakothek, Munich; Portrait of Michele Marullo, c. 1490 Coleccion Guardans-Cambo, Barcelona; and The Nativity, c 1500, The National Gallery, London