Fortitude

painting by Sandro Botticelli

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June 26, 2026

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Fortitude is a painting by Sandro Botticelli, created around 1470. It was commissioned for the hall of the merchants' tribunal in Florence. This work showcases Botticelli's developing style, characterized by a robust naturalism and incisive, flowing lines that define his figures. The painting demonstrates his growing ability to convey character and mood through pose and expression.1

The term "fortitude" itself refers to strength of mind, enabling one to endure hardship. While it can also mean physical strength, this usage is now considered obsolete. Botticelli's Fortitude is an early example of his work, predating his more famous mythological paintings like The Birth of Venus and La Primavera.2314

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Sandro Botticelli
Early life and career
…in his first dated work, Fortitude (1470), which was painted for the hall of the Tribunale dell’Are della Mercanzia, or merchants’ tribunal, in Florence. Botticelli’s art from that time shows a use of ocher in the shadowed areas of flesh tones that gives a brown warmth very different from Lippi’s…
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…in his first dated work, Fortitude (1470), which was painted for the hall of the Tribunale dell’Are della Mercanzia, or merchants’ tribunal, in Florence. Botticelli’s art from that time shows a use of ocher in the shadowed areas of flesh tones that gives a brown warmth very different from Lippi’s…
Read More