The age of the Renaissance in Italy was graced with many extraordinary artists, one of which was the painter Sandro Botticelli. He is believed to be born between the years 1444 and 1445 (there is no official birth date recorded), to Mariano Filipepi of Florence, Italy. His surname was changed to
             Botticelli because of the nickname 'Il Botticello' given to him as a young boy, which means 'Little Barrel'(Ettlinger 7). Sandro benefitted greatly from the arts and politics alive in the city.
             Florence is one of the larger cities in Italy and had a growing and prosperous merchant class with ties to all the major European countries (Ettlinger 7). The leader of the time that ruled Florence with a strong hand, who would eventually commission Botticelli's work, was Cosimo de' Medici. There was a strong contempt towards the corruption of the Church and clergy at the time and an appreciation of holiness that is reflected in the abundant naturalism of the artworks produced (Lightbown 14). This, as well as the importance of being well-skilled and knowledgeable in sport, art, music, history, classic Greek and Latin works, and military strategy were all elements of the humanistic movement that was developing during Botticelli's childhood. The important writers being read at the time were
             Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio; Dante's Divina Commedia having the strongest impact on Botticelli (Lightbown 15).
             Botticelli acquired his first craft out of admiration for his eldest brother Antonio, who was a goldsmith for Antonio Finiguerra (Lightbown 16). Not content with the life of a goldsmith, Sandro's father placed him in an apprenticeship to Filippo Lippi at a time no later than 1460 because it was
             accustomed for boys of fourteen or fifteen to gain apprenticeships, but no later (Ettlinger 8). Lippi's tutelage had a great influence on Botticelli and elements of his style show up in Sandro's works before 1500, such as: "it is possible to derive m...