Madonna of the Magnificat From related movement. La Primavera Spring Created around the same time. Adoration of the Magi From same collection. Annunciation Depicts same location. Coronation of the Virgin Visually similar work. The Birth of Venus measures in at roughly 6 feet by 9 feet. It's been called the "first large-scale canvas created in Renaissance Florence.
On February 7, , Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola spurred Christians in Florence to erect a seven-story pyre to burn art and other baubles like mirrors, jewelry, dice and art that were believed to promote sin. Some historical reports claim Botticelli was one of these followers and threw a few of his own works on the fire.
But The Birth of Venus was spared the flames. Over centuries, coats of varnish meant to preserve the painting began to turn opaque, shielding some of Botticelli's details and colors from view. But a careful restoration that concluded in gently stripped this layer away, revealing the soft and pearly colors the artist intended.
The first of these works is believed to date back to the second or third century BCE. Some sources believe The Birth of Venus was modeled after the long lost Venus Anadyomene , a painting by ancient Greek artist Apelles that was once described by Roman author Pliny the Elder and known only through his written account.
Other theories posit that this particular scene was based on a Homeric hymn published in Florence by Demetrios Chalkokondyles that reads:. The gold-filleted Horae happily welcomed her and clothed her with heavenly raiment. But the more common interpretation is that its inspiration was a poem by Botticelli's friend Agnolo Poliziano. During this time, wood panels were popular surfaces for painting, and they would remain popular through the end of the sixteenth century.
Canvas, however, was starting to gain acceptance by painters. It worked well in humid regions, such as Venice, because wooden panels tended to warp in such climates. Canvas also cost less than wood, but it was also considered to be less formal, which made it more appropriate for paintings that would be shown in non-official locations e.
The theme of the Birth of Venus was taken from the writings of the ancient poet, Homer. According to the traditional account, after Venus was born, she rode on a seashell and sea foam to the island of Cythera. In the painting we see here, Venus is prominently depicted in the center, born out of the foam as she rides to shore. On shore, a figure who has been identified as Pomona, or as the goddess of Spring, waits for Venus with mantle in hand.
The composition is similar in some respects to that of the Primavera. Venus is slightly to the right of center, and she is isolated against the background so no other figures overlap her. Vasari was probably correct in identifying her as "Aura", personification of a lighter breeze. Their joint efforts are blowing Venus towards the shore, and blowing the hair and clothes of the other figures to the right.
At the right a female figure who may be floating slightly above the ground holds out a rich cloak or dress to cover Venus when she reaches the shore, as she is about to do.
She is one of the three Horae or Hours, Greek minor goddesses of the seasons and of other divisions of time, and attendants of Venus. The floral decoration of her dress suggests she is the Hora of Spring. Alternative identifications for the two secondary female figures involve those also found in the Primavera; the nymph held by Zephyr may be Chloris, a flower nymph he married in some versions of her story, and the figure on land may be Flora.
Flora is generally the Roman equivalent of the Greek Chloris; in the Primavera Chloris is transformed into the figure of Flora next to her, following Ovid's Fasti, but it is hard to see that such a transformation is envisaged here. However, the roses blown along with the two flying figures would be appropriate for Chloris. Edit Translate Action History. Article Wikipedia article References Wikipedia article. Wikipedia: en. Greek-and-Roman-Mythology Tag is correct Tag is incorrect.
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