At the age of twelve the boy was placed with Fra Lippo Lippi, then a man of a little more than fifty, to learn painting.

That Lippo was his master one may see continually, but particularly by comparison of his headdresses with almost any of Botticelli's.

Both were minutely careful in this detail.

But where Lippo was beautifully obvious, Sandro was beautifully analytical: he was also, as I have said, much more interesting and dramatic.
Botticelli's best patron was Piero de' Medici, who took him into his house, much as his son Lorenzo was to take Michelangelo into his, and made him one of the family.

For Piero, Botticelli always had affection and respect, and when he painted his "Fortitude" as one of the Pollaiuoli's series of the Virtues for the Mercatanzia (of which several are in this gallery), he made the figure symbolize Piero's life and character--or so it is possible, if one wishes to believe.