Botticelli
Comparative Civilizations 12
Kevin J. Benoy
Early Life
• Born Alessandro di
Mariano Filipepi, in 1445
in Florence, he is best
known by his nickname –
Botticelli – or “little
barrel.”
• Legend has it that his
older brother was hugely
obese and called
“Botticella” – keg.
• Little brother therefore
gained the lesser title.
Apprenticeship & Training
• Vasari writes that he
was originally trained
as a goldsmith by his
brother, Antonio.
• He was later
apprenticed to the
painter Fra Filippo
Lippi.
Self-Portrait of Lippi –
Barbadori Altarpiece
His Earliest DatedWork
Dated 1470 – this is
Botticelli’s earliest known
work, exhibiting something of
the style of his master, Fra
Filippo Lippi.
A Florentine Master
• By 1470, Botticelli
was master of his own
workshop in Florence.
• Chief among his
patrons was the
Medici family.
• Botticelli found
himself a part of the
glittering court of
Lorenzo the
Magnificent.
Adoration of the Magi
• His painting,
Adoration of the Magi,
includes portraits of
several of the Medici
family – as well as a
self-portrait.
• Botticelli is the
brown-clad figure,
standing in the bottom
right hand corner
Primavera
• Botticelli’s characteristic style is clearly evident in this work.
• His focus is on the foreground, with little concern for depth of field
behind it. The setting is mere backdrop for the action in the
foreground.
• Figures are modeled exquisitely, with an ethereal beauty.
• Above all else, line predominates.
Primavera
• Inspired by Renaissance neoPlatonic thought, the painting
is deeply symbolic. The
theme is Spring, with figures
of Venus, Cupid, Zephyrus,
Mercury, Chloris, and the
Three graces adorning it.
• Pagan themes are depicted in
a painting for a Christian
home.
• Unfortunately the message is
obscure. On one level it is
certainly about the coming of
Spring – but beyond this, the
experts differ widely.
The Birth of Venus
• This is another neo-platonic work – and certainly his most
famous painting.
An Iconic Image
• Along with the Mona
Lisa and
Michelangelo’s David,
the figure of Venus
from this painting may
be one of the world’s
most familiar images.
The Birth of Venus
• This is the Pagan tale of
Venus’ birth.
• Cronos castrated Uranus,
casting his genitals into the
sea. Out of the white foam,
Aphrodite (Venus) was
born.
• In this image she is driven
Zephyrus – the West Wind
-- and Chloris (or Aura), to
the beach of Paphos, where
Horae, goddess of the
seasons, prepares to dress
her.
Venus and Mars
• Love triumphs over aggression in this, one of Botticelli’s greatest
neo-platonic works.
• Sister Wendy Beckett’s treatment of the painting is a highlight of
her Story of Painting.
Botticelli and the Sistine Chapel
• Pope Sixtus IV
summoned Botticelli to
Rome in 1481.
• Along with a host of
other Renaissance greats,
Botticelli would
contribute to the
decoration of the chapel
where Pope’s are chosen.
Detail from Botticelli’s
Scenes From the Life of Moses
A Follower of Savonarola
• Perhaps the strangest decision of
Botticelli’s life was his support for
Girolamo Savonarola.
• This fanatical Dominican monk
led Florence for four years after
the ignominious surrender of
Florence to the French by the
Medici.
• His puritanical rule is best know
for his making sodomy a capital
crime and for his “bonfire of the
vanities” – the destruction of
books and art – including
Botticelli’s works!
Late Works
• Savonarola was ultimately
garotted and burned by the
people of Florence.
• However, the religious
fervour that he sparked in
Botticelli remained with
him and is evident in his
later works.
Savonarola’s execution (Anon)
Late Works – The Mystical Nativity
• I, Sandro, painted this
picture', he says, 'at the
end of the year 1500 in the
troubles of Italy'; and he
goes on to state that, after
a time foretold by St John,
the Devil will be chained
and 'we shall see him
trodden down, as in this
picture‘
Kenneth Clark, Looking at Pictures
Late Works – The Mystical Nativity
•This Christmas scene is about
spiritual struggle.
•Botticelli’s deep religious
conviction is evident in this work.
•The painter even reverts to the
Medieval technique of painting
key religious figures larger than
others around them.
Botticelli
• Though Botticelli’s
fame waned for many
centuries, his position
as one of the
Renaissance’s greatest
painters revived in the
19th century and his
reputation today is as
one of the greatest
painters of all time.
Portrait of a young woman – perhaps
Simonetta Vespucci