In Italian, affectionate diminutive of botte, barrel, barrel: Kite, barrel. This is what Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi's older brother, Botticelli, was called in the Renaissance. The older brother seems to be like a fat barrel and contrasted at first glance with his younger brother. That is why their Florentine countrymen with Italian jokes called them Botticello and Botticelli. And since Botticelli loved his older brother very much, he assumed the name.
