Little is known about the life of Jacopo del Sellaio, son of a saddle maker (sellaio), but from Giorgio Vasari's 'Lives' (1550) we know that he was a pupil of Fra Filippo Lippi (c. 1406-1469). A contemporary and fellow pupil was Sandro Botticelli (1444/45-1510).
His name is mentioned for the first time in 1472 as master of the St Luke Guild (Compagnia di San Luca). In 1480, he owned, together with the painter Filippo di Giuliano, a studio, 'Bottega', on the Piazza San Miniato Fra le Torri. It has recently been discovered that he entered into an agreement with the woodworker Zanobi di Mecheruccio for the provision of wooden panels intended for wedding boxes, 'cassone'. Towards the end of his life, Sellaio concentrated mainly on painting such panels.
Jacopo del Sellaio
Florence 1441/1442 - Florence 1493
