How was Sandro Botticelli educated after finishing school?

After finishing his schooling, Sandro Botticelli’s father initially apprenticed him to a goldsmith. However, because Botticelli preferred painting, his father subsequently placed him under the tutelage of Filippo Lippi, a highly admired Florentine master.12

Lippi’s influence was fundamental to Botticelli’s artistic development, as he taught him the techniques of panel painting and fresco, as well as providing him with an assured control of linear perspective. From Lippi, Botticelli acquired a specific repertory of compositions, a linear sense of form, and a graceful approach to costuming.2

Following Lippi’s departure from Florence, Botticelli sought to refine the soft, frail figural style he had learned. To achieve greater strength and sculptural roundness in his work, he studied the styles of leading Florentine painters such as Antonio Pollaiuolo and Andrea del Verrocchio. By 1470, these formative experiences allowed him to establish himself in Florence as an independent master with his own workshop.21