It is not enough to be a little prodigy.
We still have to force fate.
To touch, to delight, to astonish these great people who crown artists, Sandro knows how to do it, but how to reach them?
This simple son of a tanner then discovers unexpected allies: his own.
Since 1464 he has lived with his father and brothers not far from Santa Maria Novella.
But with the Filipepi, business has become prosperous, thanks to Giovanni, "little barrel", who works as a money changer.
Read also In the workshop of the exquisite Botticelli
Little by little, the family became linked with the powerful Rucellai, bankers and cloth merchants; Simone, the third of her brothers, is their broker in Naples. And then, a house further, the neighbors are called Vespucci, they are notaries. Their son Amerigo trades and sails, he dreams of new worlds. All are loyal supporters of the Medici, then masters in Florence. None is insensitive to the talent of Botticelli who has set up his workshop in the family home. Through the Vespucci, Sandro is introduced to Laurent de Medici's uncle, the influential Tommaso Soderini. The latter quickly takes affection for the young painter. He even tries to marry him one day, but Sandro dodges with a pirouette: "Thank you very much, really, but you see I already had this nightmare ... since then.I would almost be afraid to sleep! The old man is happy to joke and takes no offense at these graceful insolences. This time, it's decided, he will give Botticelli that boost he needs.
The opportunity does not take long to present itself. At the Mercanzia court, a sort of Florentine commercial court, it was decided to adorn the Council chamber. Soderini is the judge, the most illustrious of all. Of course, the execution of the seven allegories of the Virtues has already been entrusted to Piero del Pollaiolo, whose reputation is well established and whose work everyone praises. Anything. As an old rogue of Florentine politics, Soderini takes advantage of a delay in the delivery of part of the order to have two of the Virtues assigned to his protege; Sandro will only make one, but it will be his first masterpiece.
He will paint La Force. On June 18, 1470, the contract between the painter and the six judges of the Mercanzia was signed. He will get twenty florins per Vertu. Two months later, to the day, he receives the amount owed. The work is dazzling. Botticelli had the audacity to beat Pollaiolo on his home ground. For the sake of unity, he modeled his composition on those of his rival: like the other Virtues, his Strength is seated, eyes turned away, on a stone throne. His genius, however, shines there with more brilliance. Next to Sandro's sumptuous acanthus leaves, Piero's marbles are to die for!
And then there is this woman, majestic, sculptural. The face, which recalls a drawing copied from Verrocchio. The virtuoso drapes of the scarlet dress and coat, where Lippi left his mark. And the hands, long, but also flexible, nervous, which play absent-mindedly with a mass of weapons. The Force has the restrained power and the impenetrable eye of wild beasts, their calm assurance, their threatening indifference. It is a real masterstroke. From one day to the next, orders flow in. Amateurs appreciate the designer, Alberti's assiduous reader, whose painted faces "give the impression of coming out of paintings as if they were sculpted".
Thanks to Soderini, Botticelli became one of Florence's most sought-after artists.
He will not be an ungrateful person.
If there is one trait of his character that his loved ones love in him as much as his humor, it is his loyalty.
Thus, on the death of the old master Lippi, we saw him welcome his son, Filippino, in his workshop.
Sandro, likewise, does not forget Soderini.
For the Pucci, longtime friends of the old man, he painted his first Adoration of the Magi.
Rucellai, Vespucci, Soderini, Pucci… Botticelli knows it well, among the influential families of Florence, he chose the camp of the reigning faction.
The Medici in person are not long in becoming its patrons.
First steps in the big leagues.
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