DAY 25

A PICTURE’S WORTH 1000 200 WORDS

The Birth of Venus

SANDRO BOTTICELLI, 1485

This well-known tempera painting by Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli depicts the watery birth of the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Within the painting, imagery from nature—often adorned with gold—mark the occasion as an extraordinary celebration of beauty. Amidst a sprinkling of pink flowers, her guilded scallop shell blows toward the shore with the help of two Zephers (the figures at left). No labor pains or cold, sterile hospital rooms here! Clearly this is not your typical birth, but let’s face it—Venus is no typical woman.

Back in 15^th-century Italy, there were a number of wealthy and powerful families who commissioned artists from around the country to create works of art. The most famous of these families was the Medici family from the region of Florence. Lorenzo de' Medici (dubbed “the Magnificent”) is considered to be the most significant patron of the arts from this family. Around the year 1482, Lorenzo commissioned this tempera painting. Botticelli obliged, and a classic was “born.” —DDG