Sandro Botticelli
About the Artist
Born in Florence, Sandro Botticelli was predominantly a painter during the Italian Renaissance. He is known to have mostly under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. To be an art patron means that you commission artists to complete works of art for a specific task, either for a family home, a church chapel, or a plaza sculpture as examples. Most of the time, these commissioned works represent characteristics and traits of the patron and his/her family. In this case, Botticelli's paintings revolved around the famous Medici family of Florence. Some of his more famous works include his Primavera (1482) and his Birth of Venus (1485), both of which can be founded within the Hall of the Art Thieves.
About the Movement
Botticelli worked in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Fun Fact: Botticelli had extreme interest in the Divine Comedy, an epic poem by Dante Alighieri, and even composed a painting of Dante's descriptions of the nine circles of Hell.
Resources: Frederick Hartt, History of Italian Renaissance Art, (London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson, 1987), 329-334.
Born in Florence, Sandro Botticelli was predominantly a painter during the Italian Renaissance. He is known to have mostly under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. To be an art patron means that you commission artists to complete works of art for a specific task, either for a family home, a church chapel, or a plaza sculpture as examples. Most of the time, these commissioned works represent characteristics and traits of the patron and his/her family. In this case, Botticelli's paintings revolved around the famous Medici family of Florence. Some of his more famous works include his Primavera (1482) and his Birth of Venus (1485), both of which can be founded within the Hall of the Art Thieves.
About the Movement
Botticelli worked in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Fun Fact: Botticelli had extreme interest in the Divine Comedy, an epic poem by Dante Alighieri, and even composed a painting of Dante's descriptions of the nine circles of Hell.
Resources: Frederick Hartt, History of Italian Renaissance Art, (London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson, 1987), 329-334.
Artworks found in the Château: