| Alessandro Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli (Florence 1445 - May 17, 1510) was an Italian painter of the Florentine school. His life was described in Giorgio Vasari's Vite. Born in Florence in the popular rione named Ognissanti, he was an apprentice of Andrea del Verrocchio, together with Leonardo da Vinci. In 1470 he opened his own independent studio. In 1481 he was in Rome to work on the Sistine Chapel. He was influenced in his art by important artists like Fra Filippo Lippi and Antonio Pollaiuolo. The repeated contacts with the Medici family were undoubtedly useful for granting him political protection and creating conditions ideal for his production of several masterpieces. In later life, he was one of Savonarola's followers. [Biography Document - Alessandro Botticelli - 1K - Published May 11 2004]
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