The Story Behind these Botticelli Art Prints

Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance whose best-known works include The Birth of Venus and Primavera, both in the Uffizi in Florence. Botticelli spent his life in the same neighbourhood of Florence apart from some time spent in Pisa in 1474 and in the Sistine Chapel in Rome between 1481 and 1482.

After his death, Botticelli's reputation suffered as he was upstaged by Michelangelo and Da Vinci. After his paintings were reappraised in the late 19th Century, Botticelli's art prints is now considered to be a fine example of Early Renaissance painting.

The nickname Botticelli, meaning "little barrel", is derived from his brother Giovanni, who was nicknamed Botticello due to his round stature. Botticelli appears to have embraced the name, as evidenced by a document of 1470 which refers to him as "Sandro Mariano Botticelli".