IN these same days of Lorenzo de' Medici the Magnificent,which was a
veritable golden age for men of genius, flourishedAlessandro, called
Sandro according to our custom, and diBotticelli, for reasons which I
shall give presently. lie was theson of Mariano Filipepi, a citizen of
Florence, who broughthim up with care, teaching him everything which
ehildren areusually set to lcarn before the age when they are first
apprenticedto trades. Although Sandro quickly mastered anything thathe
liked, he was always restless and could not settle downat school to
reading, writing and arithmetic. Accordingly hisfather, in despair at
his waywardness, put him with a goldsmithwho was known to him called
Botticelli, a very reputable masterof the craft. Very close and friendly
relations then existedbetween the goldsmiths and the painters, so that
Sandro, whowas an ingenious lad and devoted to drawing, became
attractedto painting, and resolved to take it up. \Vlien lie had told
hiswish to his father, the latter, who knew his whims, took him toFra
Filippo of the Carmine, an admirable painter of the day,and it was
agreed that he should teacli Sandro, as the boydesired. Devoting himself
heart and soul to his art, Sandrofollowed and imitated his master so
well that Fra Filippo becamevery fond of him and taught him so carefully
that he soonattained to an excellence that no one would have
thoughtpossible. While still young he painted for the Mercatanzia
ofFlorence a Fortitude for the Series of the Virtues done by Antonio and
Piero del Pollajuolo.' In the Chapel of the Bardi inS. Spirito,
Florence, he painted a panel 2 which is diligentlyexecuted and well
finished, containing some olives and palmsproduced with whole-hearted
delight. For the Convertite nunshe did a panel, and another for those of
S. Barnaba.3 On the screenof Ognissanti, by the door leading into the
choir, he painted aSt. Augustine 4 for the Vespucci, in which lie
endeavoured tosurpass all his contemporaries, but especially Domenico
Ghirlandajo, who had done a St. Jerome on the other side. Thiswork
proved very successful, the head of the saint being expressive of
profound thought and quick subtlety, such as are usuallypossessed by
those who are always examining into difficult andabstruse questions. As
I have said in the Life of Ghirlandajo, thispainting was removed without
suffering damage in I564. Havingthus won name and fame, Sandro was
employed by the art ofPorta S. Maria to do a Coronation of the Virgin 5
for S. Marco,with a choir of angels, and he executed this commission
admirably. In the Casa Medici he did many things for Lorenzo
theMagnificent, the elder, notably a life-size Pallas 8 above a designof
vine-branches flaming fire, and also a St. Sebastian. InS. Maria
Maggiore, at Florence, there is a fine Pieta 7 of smallfigures beside
the Chapel of the Panciatichi. For various housesin the city he did
round pictures, and a goodly number of nudefemale figures, two of which
are now at Castello, a villa of DukeCosimo. One is a Birth of Venus 8
wafted to land by the breezes,with cupids; the other is also a Venus in
company with tl,eGraces and flowers, denoting Spring,9 expressed by liim
withmuch grace. In the house of Giovanni Vespucci in the via de'Servi,
now Piero Salviati's, he did a number of pictures rounda room, framed in
an ornamental border of walnut, and figuresfull of life and beauty. In
the Casa Pucci he did Boccaccio'sstory of Nastagio degli Onesto,'0 in
small figures, the seriesconsisting of four pictures of great beauty and
grace. He further
(1) Done about 1468, now in the Uffizi. (2)A Madonna between St.John
the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, now in the BerlinGallery. (3)
Now in the Accademia, Florence. (4) In 1480. (5)Probably painted in
1481; now in the Accademia, Florence.(6) This seems to be the picture
discovered in the Pitti palace in1895, painted in 1490. (7) Now in the
Pinacothek, Munich. (8) Uffizi(9) Accademia, Florence, painted about
1478. (10) Decameron Day5, Novello 8. The panels appear to be those now
in the NationalGallery, London.
did a round picture of the Epiphany. In a chapel of the monksof
Cestello lie did an Annunciation.' By the side door of S. PieroMaggiore
he did a panel for Matteo Palmieri, with a largenumber of figures
representing the Assumption of Our Lady,3with zones of patriarchs,
prophets, apostles, evangelists, martyrs,confessors, doctors, virgins,
and the orders of angels, the wholefrom a design given to him by Matteo,
who was a worthy andlearned man. LIe executed this work with the
greatest masteryand diligence, introducing the portraits of Matteo and
his wifeon their knees. But although the great beauty of this workcould
find no otlier fault with it, said that Matteo and Sandrowere guilty of
grave heresy. Whether this be true or not, I cannotsay, but I know that
Sandro's figures are admirable for the painswhich he has taken and the
manner in which he has made thecircles of the heavens, introducing
foreshortening and spacesbetween the groups of angels, while the general
design is excellent.At this time Sandro was commissioned to paint a
small panel,with figures three-quarters of a braccia high, which was
placedin S. Maria Novella on the main wall of the church between thetwo
doors, on the left-hand side of the middle door on entering.The subject
is the Adoration of the Magi,3 remarkable for theemotion of the elderly
man, who overflows with love as hekisses the foot of Our Lord, clearly
showing that lie has attainedthe end of his long journey. This king is a
portrait of Cosimode' Medici, the elder, and is the finest of all that
are now extantfor its life and vigour. `The second is Giuliano de'
Medici, thefather of Pope Clement VII., doing reverence with
absorbeddevotion and offering his gift. The third, who is also
kneelingand appears to be adoring and giving thanks while he
confessesthe true Messiah, is Cosimo's son Giovanni. The beauty of
theheads in this scene is indescribable, their attitudes all
different,some full-face, some in profile, some three-quarters, some
bentdown, and in various other ways, while the expressions of
theattendants, both young and old, are greatly varied, displaying
theartist's perfect mastery of his profession. Sandro further
clearlyshows the distinction between the suites of each of the kings.It
is a marvellous work in colour, design and composition, andthe wonder
and admiration of all artists. It brought Sandro-such a reputation in
Florence and abroad that Pope Sixtus IV.
(1) About 1490. (2) Painted about 1472, now in the NationalGallery,
ascribed to Botticini. (3) Uffizi, painted 1477.
entrusted him with the direction of the painting of the chapelwhich
he was building in his palace at Rome. Here Sandropainted the following
subjects: Christ tempted by the devil;Moses slaying the Egyptian and
receiving drink from thedaughter of Jethro the Midianite; the sacrifice
of the sons ofAaron and the fire from heaven which consumed them,
withsome of the canonised popes in the niches above.1 By these hewon yet
greater renown among many rivals who were workingwith him, Florentines
and natives of other cities, and he receiveda goodly sum of money from
the Pope. But he spent all duringhis Stay at Rome in his usual
thoughtless way, and after finishinghis section of the work he uncovered
it, and straightway leftfor Florence.2 Being of a sophistical turn of
mind, he there wrotea commentary on a portion of Dante and illustrated
the Itiferno,3which he printed, spending much time over it, and this
abstensionfrom work led to serious disorders in his living. He
printedmany other drawings, but in an inferior style, because the
plateswere badly engraved, his best work being the triumph of thefaith
of Fra Girolamo Savonorola of Ferrara. Of this sect he wasan adherent,
and this led him to abandon painting, and, as hehad no income, it
involved him in the most serious trouble.But remaining obstinate in his
determination and becoming aPiagnone, as they were called, he gave up
work, and owingto this he became so poor in his old age that if Lorenzo
de'Medici the Magnificent, while lie lived, had not assisted him,for he
had done many things for that prince at the Spedalettoat Volterra, and
if he had not been helped by friends and manywealthy men who admired his
genius, he would practicallyhave died of hunger. In S. Francesco,
outside the S. Miniatogate, there is a circular picture by Sandro of a
Madonna andangels, of life-size, which was considered very
beautiful.
Sandro was a merry fellow and played many pranks on hispupils and
friends. It is related that he once had a pupil namedBiagio, who made a
picture for sale like the one just mentioned,and Sandro disposed of it
to a citizen for six gold florins.Finding Biagio, Sandro said, "I have
sold your picture at last,but the purchaser wants it set up this evening
to have a betterview of it. Go to the citizen's house to-morrow, taking
it withyou, so that when he has seen it well placed he may pay you
(1) Comissioned in 1481. Vasari is at fault in some of the
subjects;he misconstrues the gallantry of Moses, and the "sacrifice of
thesons of Aaron" really represents the purification of a leper
asprescribed in Leviticus XIV. 2-7. (2) 1n 1482. (3)The drawingswere
done between 1492 and 1497.
the price." Biagio was delighted, and thanked his master, andhastened
to the workshop, setting the picture fairly high up,and departed.
Thereupon Sandro and another pupil calledJacopo made eight hoods of
paper, such as the citizens use,and fastened them with white wax to the
heads of the angelssurrounding the Madonna. The next morning up came
Biagiowith the citizen who had bought the picture and who was awareof
the joke. When Biagio entered the shop and looked up, hesaw his Madonna
seated not in the midst of angels, but of theSignoria of Florence, with
their hoods. He was about to excusehimself to his patron, but as the
latter said nothing but praiseof the picture, he kept his counsel.
Finally Biagio went homewith the citizen and received the payment of six
florins as settledby his master. Meanwhile Sandro and Jacopo had removed
thepaper hoods, and on Biagio's return he saw his angels were asthey
should be and no longer hooded citizens. Lost in amazement,he knew not
what to say. At length he turned to Sandro andsaid, "Master, I do not
know if I am dreaming or awake. WhenI came here these angels had red
hoods on their heads and nowthey have none; what does it mean?'' ``You
must be mad,Biagio," said Sandro; "this money has turned your brain.
Ifthey had been like that do you think the citizen would havebought it?"
"That is true," replied Biagio, "he said nothing tome about it, and I
certainly thought it strange." All the otherboys in the shop surrounded
him, and together they succeededin making him believe that his head had
been in a whirl.\
A cloth-weaver once came to live next door to Sandro, andput up eight
looms, which made such a noise when they wereat work as to deafen poor
Sandro, making the whole houseshake, the walls not being so strong as
they might have been,so that for one reason and another he was unable to
work orremain in his house. He several times begged his neighbour
toremedy this nuisance, but the man declared that he could andwould do
what he pleased in his own house. This arousedSandro's ire, and his wall
being higher than his neighbour's, hebalanced a huge stone upon the top
of it, which looked as if itwould fall at the slightest movement and
break the roofs,ceiling and looms of the man below. Terrified by this
danger,the weaver had recourse to Sandro, who, adopting his ownphrase,
replied that lie would do as he pleased in his own house.Unable to
obtain any fuller satisfaction, the man was forced tocome to terms and
to act like a good neighbour. It is also relatedthat for a jest Sandro
accused a friend of his of heresy to thevicar. The friend appeared and
demanded who accused him andof what. Learning that it was Sandro who
said that he held theopinion of the Epicureans that the soul dies with
the body, heasked to see his accuser before the judge. When Sandro
arrivedhe said, "It is true that I hold this opinion of this man, for
heis a brute. Do not you yourselves think liim a heretic, sincewithout
any education, and scarce knowing how to read, hewrites a commentary on
Dante, taking his name in vain?"
It is said that Sandro was extraordinarily fond of those whomlie knew
to be students of the arts, and that he made a gooddeal, but wasted all
through his carelessness and want of control.Having become old and
useless, he fell to walking with twocrutches, as he could not stand
straight, and in this state ofdecrepitude he died at the age of
seventy-eight, being buriedin Ognissanti in I515. There are two female
heads in profile byhis hand in the wardrobe of Duke Cosimo, one of whom
is saidto be the mistress of Giuliano de' Medici, iLorenzo's brother,and
the other Madonna Lucrezia de' Tornabuoni, Lorenzo'swife.1 The same
place has a Bacchus of Sandro raising a caskwith both hands and putting
it to his lips, a very graceful figure.In the Chapel of the Impagliata,
in the Duomo of I'isa, he beganan Assumption, with a choir of angels,
but as it did not pleaseIllm he left it unfinished. In S. Francesco at
Montevarchi hedid the picture of the high altar and two angels in the
Pieve ofEmpoli, on the same side as Rossellino's St. Sebastian. He
wasone of the first to find a way of making standards and otherdraperies
by joining pieces together, so that the colours do notrun, and show on
both sides. He also did the baldachino ofOrsanmichele, full of Madonnas,
all different and beautiful. Itis clear that this method of making
standards is the must durable,as they do not suffer from acids, which
quickly eat them away,although the latter method is most often used
because it is lesscostly. Sandro's drawing was much beyond the common
level,so much so that artists strove to obtain examples for some
timeafter his death, and there are some in our book done with
greatjudgment and skill. He was prodigal of figures in his scenes, asmay
be noticed in the embroidery of the frieze of the processionalcross of
the friars of S. Maria Novella, all by his design. Sandrothen deserves
high praise for his paintings, into which he threwhimself with diligence
and ardour, producing such works as theAdoration of the Magi in S. Maria
Novella already described,
(1) The first "1a bella Simonetta" is now in the Pitti Gallery,
thesecond at Berlin, and represents the wife of Piero de' Medici.
which is a marvel. Another very remarkable work is a smallround
picture in the chamber of the prior of the Angeli atFlorence, the
figures being small but very graceful and beautifully composed. A
Florentine gentleman, M. Fabio Segni, hasa picture of the same size as
the Magi, representing the Calumnyof Apelles,1 of the utmost beauty. He
gave this picture to hisclose friend Antonio Segni, with the following
lines of his owncomposition beneath it:
Indicio quemquam ne falso laedere tentent Terrarum reges,
parva tabella monet. Huic similem Aegypti regi donavit Apelles Rex
fuit et dignus munere, munus eo.