Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter during the Early Renaissance. He was born in 1445 in Florence, Italy and apprenticed under goldsmith and painter Filippo Lippi. Botticelli was influenced by Lippi's use of color and developed his own tender style. He gained popularity painting works for the influential Medici family. Later in life, Botticelli fell under the influence of Dominican preacher Savonarola and destroyed many of his own paintings. He died in 1510 at age 65 in Florence.