"The Italian painter, Botticelli, 'little barrel', was born Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi during the early Renaissance period. This period has often been referred to as the 'Golden Age' as a mark of respect to grand patrons such as Lorenzo de' Medici."

Alessandro or Sandro, as he was called, was the fourth son of Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, a tanner. History suggests that Botticelli trained to become a goldsmith, before he expressed a desire to draw a nd began to study painting from Fra Filippo Lippi in the beginning of 1460s.

Historical facts ascertain that Botticelli ran his own workshop in Florence since 1470, during which time he also became a member of the St. Luke's Guild. Most of his early work had a religious theme. The However, 1470, the Florentine Tribunate di Mercatanzia commissioned Sandro Botticelli to paint Fortitude (1470).Four years after that, one of Botticelli paintings 'St. Sebastian' (1474), considered a monumental example of skills, was displayed on a pillar in the Santa Maria Maggiore Church in Florence. After this, Botticelli painted the 'Adoration of Magi' (1475), which depicted the members from Medici Clan, the ruling family of Florence in those days

Botticelli also painted a portrait of Giuliano de' Medici (1476-1477), which is also very well known. But, perhaps the most popular and admired of all Botticelli paintings are the Madonnas. A look at Botticelli gallery will display commendable works such as 'Madonna and Child with Eight Angles' (1478), Madonna del Libro (1480), Madonna of the Magnificent (1480-1481), Madonna of the Pomegranate (1487), Madonna del Padiglione (1493).

Moreover, it was in 1480, that Botticelli was commissioned by the Ognissanti church to paint the fresco St. Augustine. During the same period, he also painted a fresco, though this piece of work failed to survive.

A year later, in 1481, Botticelli along with fellow artists like Cosimo Rosseli andPierro Perugino were invited by Pope Sixtus IV to spread their magic by painting frescos, in his Capella magna, which became famous as the Sistine Chapel. In the following years, Botticelli painted some of his best-recognized works such as the mythological 'Primavera' (1482) and 'The Birth of Venus' (1485).He also painted 'The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti' (1482-1483), which was a series of four frescos based on the fable in Boccaccio's Decameron and used for the decoration of the Pucci Villa . Around the same time, Bottecelli's fame Bottecelli's fame was spreading everywhere and his mythological works such as 'The Temptation of Christ' (1481-1482), 'Scenes from the Life of Moses' (1481-1482) and 'The Punishment of Korah' (1481-1482) were being lapped up by the patrons and the art-lovers alike.

Towards the 1490s, the Dominican monk Girolamo Savonarola influenced Botticelli's work. The monk's sermons and writings created impressions of an imminent Apocalypse that would occur at the turn of the century, warning people to repent and embrace asceticism. Under the influence of the impending doom, Botticelli's style of painting became more severe and strict. Botticelli's last known works include 'Calumny of Apelles' (1494-1495), 'The Story of Virginia' (1496-1504), 'The Story of Lucretia' (1496-1504), 'Mystic Nativity' (1500),and 'St. Zenobiuspanels' (1500-1505). There is hardly any information available on the last few years of Botticelli's life. Botticelli died on 17th of May 1510 in Florence and was buried in the Ognissanti cemetery.