Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli

## Early life

Sandro Botticelli was born on 01 March 1445 in Florence, Italy. His artistic nature was strongly disapproved by his family and therefore he was adopted by the Medici family and was raised alongside Lorenzo, Bianca and Giuliano as their own brother and thus had great respect for the family. Botticelli claimed to have been seeking the beauty of God to be inspired to paint. He was tutored by the fine artists of Italy and his paintings were often commissioned by the Lorenzo himself.

## Old scores

Sandro is shown arguing about the preference of art over philosophy with his philosopher friend Angelo Poliziano, later the argument was diplomatically resolved by Lorenzo.

Later after an assassination attempt on Piero de' Medici, he joins Giuliano to search for the assassins and thus they obtain a clue against Jacopo de' Pazzi. Upon learning the discovery Lorenzo accompanied by Sandro and Giuliano leaves for Jacopo's place and confront him of his involvement where Giuliano is enraged by the provocations of Francesco and thus attacks Jacopo out of his anger. Followed by Giuliano taken into prison and later the Pazzi declare themselves innocent in the Priori.

## Standing alone

While delivering a painting he made for a merchant Marco Vespucci, Sandro accompanied by Giuliano witnesses the merchant's wife Simonetta and becomes obsessed by her beauty right away.

## Obstacles and opportunities

Upon insistence from Lorenzo who was aiming to gain support from Marco, Sandro seeks Marco's permission to draw Simonetta in his painting and later successfully persuades her too.

## Blood with blood

Sandro eventually starts to draw Simonetta in his painting to depict the Mars and Venus, where Simonetta posed for Venus while Giuliano posed for the figure of Mars.

## Ties that bind

After a year Botticelli's painting was about to get completed when Marco Vespucci falsely smells his wife's adulterous relationship with Sandro, while in reality she had a romantic affiliation with Giuliano. However Simonetta is prohibited from visiting Sandro's workshop and thus he had to paint on his own, later upon blaming Giuliano for his incomplete work he runs into a fight with him.

## Alliance

When he completes his painting successfully, Sandro delivers the piece at Marco's place who upon an ailing Simonetta's insistence reluctantly permits him to direct the placement of the painting but Botticelli later got dismissed by the merchant who asks him never to visit his home. Later when Francesco de' Pazzi reveals his wife's true lover, Marco locks Simonetta into his dungeons where she eventually dies after Giuliano learns of her.

## Betrayal

While being in deep despair of Simonetta's demise, Sandro is asked by Lorenzo to visit Rome to paint for the Pope but he dismisses the idea claiming that he can never paint again since the lady's death as she served as his inspiration.

## Mass

When the assault was being held in the cathedral, people started rushing deliriously in the streets outside the cathedral where Sandro was informed by Poliziano that the Medici brothers were brutally murdered. But when he reaches in panic to cathedral he got relieved to witness Lorenzo alive but at the same time grieved over a dying Giuliano. Afterwards when Lorenzo ordered the brutal assassinations of the conspirators which include Marco Vespucci as well, their homes were also looted and the painting which Sandro had painted for Simonetta depicting "Mars and Venus" was burned on the street leaving him in despair and thus he rushes towards Lorenzo where he and Clarice ask Lorenzo to stay peaceful in attaining the revenge for his brother but much to their vain Lorenzo remained adamant over violence. Later Sandro paints "Primevera" to induce peace within a grieving Lorenzo's heart.