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Sandro Botticelli is an early Renaissance artist. During his time, he was among the first to move away completely from Gothic. His background and figures still carry a bit of the stylized gothic style. Over all, he attempted to mimic nature to the best of his abilities.  During this time period, a return to the Greek meant a resurfacing of human idealism. Now being a human is all that matter... Still, the church continued to call the shots in this Greek world. However, depictions of pagan Gods was no longer a taboo. With a rise of kingship and banking, there came a demand for new types of artworks (not related to the Catholic church).

The Medici themselves (now in control of the Vatican, the crown and the banking system of Italy) started investing on painters to aggrandize their prestige. Thus, commissions ranged from Kingly portrait to private commissions. Paintings in the houses of bankers had mostly Greek philosophical themes.  You know, rich people could afford to study humanities and Plato. So, they developed a healthy liking for Greek Female nudes... hehehehe!!! Well, that's the Medici for you. When you control the Catholic church, you can get away with a lot of weird things. Controlling the Papacy back then was a lucrative busyness. Anyhow, it was in this world that Botticelli put his brushes to good use.

Well, lets just get this show on the road. The first lil number is called Minerva and the Centaur (1480-82). Minerva or is the Goddess of Justice. The Centaur is a mythological monster. The fusion of a man and beast. This painting shows Botticelli's perspective on woman's power over men. Minerva represents a woman of virtue and wisdom. She is holding the beast at bay. The Centaur here is a man ruled by carnal desires. A fool as such can be tamed by a wise lady.

Visually, Minerva has the laurel, crown of Victory. The halberd (the weird ax spear) represents virtue. Lastly, those three red diamonds (two in her breast and one in the belly) are the symbol of the Medici. This one in specific was inside the bedchamber of the Medici Bride. This one was a private commission (unrelated to the kings and the church). Usually, the patrons gave a general descriptions of what they desired. Thus, the Medici bride wanted to show in this painting how she tamed the lustful nature of her husband. Pretty cool!! Well back then, it was fashionable for rich ladies to be just as educated as men (even more so,sometimes). It makes sense thus, that the Medici bride wanted to appear educated.

The figures are like idealized like Greek Statues. The background is also idealized. It is meant to show nature at its best. One sees behind Minerva, a calm sea. The centaur is being pushed against the ruined Greek Temple columns. The centaur is the old lustful man, cloaked in Greek Humanism. Minerva is the Medici lady (honorable, strong, sophisticated). Its an interesting contrast between the two. Well, I think that is everything worth mentioning about this painting. Boy, that was a long intro

 Above is a closeup of the face of Venus. This one is The Birth of Venus (1486). It is not certain who commissioned " The Birth of Venus". However, like Primavera, the Venus painting ended up in a Medici townhouse. There are some rumors going about that Venus was Simonetta Vespucci. She was a married noble woman that Botticelli had a crush on. When he died, he asked to be buried at her feet (i.e in front of her grave). Others go as far as to suggest, that she posed nude for Botticelli (however, that is unlikely).

There were others who used accused Botticelli of being gay. However, being gay was a fav pastime of noblemen. Since noble women where seriously off limit (chastity being mandatory for women, but not for men), noblemen started sleeping with each other (they did not sleep with their maids because they did not want to produce bastards). It got to such a point that the Vatican started subsidizing brothels. Heheheh,now that was a real bummer.

Above, we see the most beautiful Greek Goddess. According to Plato, physical beauty helped one better understand spiritual beauty. Thus, by gazing at her one could gaze upon the beauty of the creator. Thus, in a bizarre fashion this painting has biblical references (to divine love).  The figures themselves look flat. During Botticelli's time, there started circulating texts describing an infamous Venus rising from the sea painting. Scholars believe that Botticelli was trying to recreate the Venus from the writtings. The painting does look a lot like a colored relief. The pose is taken from the Modest Venus.

Another way to look at the painting, is to see Venus as a proto Eve. This was Eve before she tasted the apple. Well next to her is The Zephyrus and his lover Flora. Together they blow wind and some spring flowers as they move Venus toward the shore. Horae (Goddess of seasons) holds out a mantle to cover her. Mythological wise, Venus was said to have been born full grown out of the sea water foam.

 Above is a detail of Primavera.Here we see the Three Graces dancing.What I like about this one is how Botticelli made the dresses of the Graces. They actually look transparent. This is Botticelli's own original painting style. Its interesting their serious expression. This is because restrained emotions was fashionable back then. Thus, all of the Graces behavior inspires grace. The Graces themselves have long hair, richly adorned. One of the blonde graces sports a pearl necklace with a star jewel at the end. Pearls here mean flawless feminine beauty. I think that is all worth mentioning on the Graces.

Next to the Graces, there is Mercury reaching for a fruit. In this scene, he represents abundance (of flowers ect) . Behind him, spring or Primavera is blossoming. Toward the far right, Zephyrus and Chloris are playing around. When Chloris speaks flowers sprout. Zephyrus' winds is making Chloris spill out flowers from her mouth. She was kidnapped and married to Zephyrus. Next to the wind, there is (the second manifestation of Chloris)Flora, the Goddess of Flower (makes sense considering all the flowers she has about herself). In the center, there is Venus, Goddess of Love. Above her, Cupid has his bow drawn. During those days, Venus was seen as the pagan equivalent of the Virgin Mary because she ruled both earthly and heavenly love. Her pose and demeanor contrast with the classical Greek behavior of all the other figures. She is the central figure. Behind her, the forest opens as if she had a halo about her. 

This painting is called The return of Judith to Bethulia (1472).  Well,by now you guys are familiar with Judith. I am not going to repeat myself (for more info read the Gentileschi blog). In this one, Judith is returning to Jerusalem with the head of Holofernes. In the background, you can see the opposing armies fighting. The landscape here has a well defined Vanishing Point (this is new development). Behind something that Botticelli calls a tree, you can  see the walls of Jerusalem. Both are almost at the secret entrance. Well, that is a historical landscape. Nothing too far out there. The clothing of the ladies follow the ancient Greek fashion. The sword is actually Persian. Again, Botticelli paints his women strong and independent. Then again, no painter painted for the fun of it those days. It seems that the church patron wanted his Judith to look as thus. 

This weird painting is called "The Calumny of Apelles" . During these days, it became common for painters to reproduce ancient paintings based on old record descriptions. The Calumny obviously did not survive. However, the descriptions still survived. Anyhow, lets start with the king. The king has donkey ears. This means that he is a fool. The maidens next to the king represent Ignorance (the lady with the wild hair) and Suspicion (the barefooted maiden in green). The maiden in blue is Slander. She carries a torch (like the Furies) and her victim by the hair. The ugly man conducting Slander represents Envy. He is bringing Slander (false accusations) upon the young man. Slander is being adorned by Fraud (the pretty maiden in pink) and Conspiracy (the one coming from behind). The ugly man has accused the boy of Treason against the king. Such accusations would mean death to the boy. The young man implores forgiveness to Repentance (the old lady dressed in black). She is turning her gaze from the scene and looking at Truth (the pretty nude lady pointing toward the heavens) for guidance. You know, the position of the young man's legs alludes to the cruxified Christ. Punishment for treason in the Roman world meant crucifixion.  Basically, Apelles was accused of leading a revolt. Then, a friend revealed the truth to the King Ptolomey. The Envious guy was sold to slavery. This painting relates to Botticelli's life because they had accused him during those days of committing sodomy. This would have utterly ruin his reputation and his honor. With his honor stained, Botticelli would have not been able to receive any more commissions from the Medici. What's interesting is that only the passive partner was ever accused of sodomy. Ok, moving along.Since Botticelli did not know what the background looked like he just painted something that looked Roman. He painted a lot of reliefs (similar to the Ara Pacis in Rome) and some Saint sculptures. The columns' forms are similar to the column arrangement of the Colosseum. The statues per column are a carry over from Gothic sculpture. The red carpet leading up to the throne was still being used among the aristocracy of Europe. 

This maiden is called Fortitude (1470). She is one of the seven Virtues. Botticelli was competing with another man for the commission. He had to satisfy himself with just Fortitude.If you notice, this painting has a lot of fine (small) detail. He really was trying to outdo the other guy that got the rest of the six virtues. Anyhow, the set were meant for a public court. This was his big chance to get exposure (you know, the rich and poor visit such courts all the time). This painting started off Botticelli's painting career. I can see why. It is a lovely painting. Look at her armor and her scepter. She really does look like the allegory of Fortitude. 

This painting is called Inferno (as in Dante's Inferno). Anyhow, this one is part of a huge series of paintings (this one was the only one that was completed) featuring the entire Divine Comedy. He wanted to illustrate every canto (or stanza). Anyhow, here the poet Virgil is guiding Dante through all the nine levels of hell. Virgil was in hell because he did not accept Christ (he shares this level with all the unbaptized babies. However, recently the Pope got rid of the limbo concept. He thought it was too cruel and unusual. Plus, Christ said that all who harmed children deserve to die). So no more limbo. 

The next one is called "The Outcast". Basically, we see a sobbing woman. She has just been thrown out of her home. Around her, we see her clothing scattered. Her pose is in the Greek manner of expressing mourning. The house looks roman. This is Botticelli's vision of utter grief. There is no one helping this maiden. 

This painting is called The Story of Nastagio Degli Onesti (1483). Around Botticelli's time, a popular play ,The Decameron by Boccaccio, was going around. The story goes that a knight had asked a maiden to marry him. She refused and then gave in in the end. The knight then told her a story of another cruel maiden. She had refused marry. Her lover then hunted her down, skinned her and fed her intestines to the dogs. This is the end of that story. In this scene, the knight has finally married her beloved. I think he was threatening his lover. Either way, here is a happy banquet. The interior looks like roman Triumphant arches.

Above, is the start of the story. Here the maiden is being eaten by the dogs. Behind her you can see the berserk knight. You know, this was a wedding present from the father of the groom. A real bummer...Anyhow,this scene is taking place in the forest. The knight and his helpers are cornering the maiden. 

This is a detail from "The Youth of Moses" (1482).  These two maidens are speaking to Moses by the Well. If I remember correctly, one of these maidens will become Mses's bride. Both maidens are shepherds. Both are dressed like ancient Israelite.

This painting is called "Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist". Salome was the hottie who danced the dance of the seven veils for her step dad. She wanted to get John the Baptist head for her mother. Here Salome is bringing the head to her mother. She looks quite happy and eager to please her mother. The surroundings is a bit medieval. There seems to be a water ditch around the castle. 

This painting is called " The Road to Calvary". Well, Calvary was the place where Jesus was cruxified. Here a Hermit is pulling a rope that will lead him to the site. Behind him, a knight with a baculo (power stick... really, it is a power stick) is urging him on. This seems more like a pilgrimage to the site of Jesus' death. The armor of the knight seems medieval.

Above, Judith is getting out of the tent with the head of Holofernes. She looks very cool gazing at the head of her victim. During these days, they started raising the status of women (to promote their honor). Plus, the subject matter of the female worthies became really popular. This theme focused on the depiction of honorable women from the Bible. Following this trend, Botticelli painting this honorable widow that saved Israel. 

I am not too certain about the title of this painting. It basically shows three scenes of the life of a saint. On the right, he is about to drop dead. In the center, he is healing some random people. On the left, I think he is bringing someone to life. The scenery is quite Italian. It must be one of their patron Saints.

The next painting is called " The Discovery of the Body of Holofernes" . Here the guards are shocked to see their boss man without a head. Most of the guys are dressed like ancient Canaanites. There is one knight, in golden armor, whose design is medieval. You know, is that horse inside the tent? His pose is similar to horse statues of those that died in the war. The headless body looks pumped up and idealized. 

The next painting is called "The Punishment of Korah, Dathan and Abiram "(1481). This is a scene from the Old Testament. Anyhow, those three guys had revolted against the leadership of Moses in the desert. God punished them by having the earth literary swallow them whole. On the right, Joshua is stopping the rebels. He is trying to keep them from getting at Moses. Some have broken through the ranks. In the center, they are attacking Aaron (he speaks on Moses behalf to the people). On the left, Moses is calling God to punish the rebels. Moses appears in all three scenes in the painting. He is the old man in green. On the left, you can literally see the earth opening up to slay Moses's enemies. I guess you can't blame the trio for rebelling against Moses. After all, 40 years in the desert is no picnic (even with a daily supply of Mana). 

This painting shows "The Story of Lucretia" (1504). On the left, while Lucretia's husband was away in the war this maiden is visited by the King's son. The son thus rapes this honorable lady. On the Right, Lucretia has just stabbed herself after telling her family members about the rape. In the center, around the grave of Lucretia her family members are taking revenge against the king. Brutus the man in the center is exhorting the crowd to rebel against the Roman king. Her death fueled the fire that started the ancient Roman republic. The scenes takes place inside a roman public forum. The entire scene is being watched by Athena, the Goddess of Justice. 

This is the second scene of the story from the Decamaron. Here the maiden is being skinned by her lover. The dogs are being fed her intestines. Ew...this painting seems to portray the extremes of violence against women. Its not too uncommon for distraught lovers to murder those who reject them. Even, I think this was a bit too much. 

The last one shows the same scene of the maiden hunted by dogs  in the garden inhabited by the main characters from Decameron. The man in the center is starting the story of the ill fated lady. Cool, that narrator is literary bringing the story to life for his listeners. 

The next painting is called " The Story of Virginia " (1504). The story of this one really does suck. Its all about restoring woman's honor via death. This shows the moralism going about Rome during Botticelli's time. A woman was better off dead after being rape. That is a real bummer...its for this reason, that most women where secluded in their home. Basically, the scene on the scene of the left, Virginia accompanied by other women is raped by Tacitus. Tacitus did this on behalf of Caecus who wanted Virginia for himself. He then takes her to court to be trail for adultery. The judge was none other than Caecus himself (this is the middle scene). During the trail, her husband and her father plead on her behalf. Obviously, this did not work. Caecus sentenced her to live the rest of her life as his slave. The father to preserve the family's honor slays her and flees on horseback (the scene on the right). As you can see, honor killing is not a new thing. It really is quite the depressing story. 

The next painting is called "The Triumph of Mordecai from the Story of Esther" (1480). Above Mordecai has just overheard a plot to slay the king. He is about to relate the information to his cousin, Esther. 

The next one shows scenes from the early life of Moses. I already described the center scene of Moses as a shepherd. On the left, the women are taking their children to the slaughter. On the right, Moses slays an Egyptian who was accosting a Jewish slave. Works pretty well. 

The next painting shows "Three Scenes from the Life of Esther".  On the left, Esther has just joined Xerxes harem. On the center, Esther faints at the sight of Xerxes. On the right, she is in Xerxes' room. The scene takes place in a Roman palace. All the characters are wearing ancient Roman robes. Just like regular biblical scenes.

The next painting is called "Venus and Mars". Here Mars lies exhausted after sleeping with Venus. He could not tame the lady. Judging by her pose, she is waiting for Mars to get his second breath. The moral of the story is that Love always conquers War. Anyhow, Venus is wearing a lovely white dress of the Italian Lady fashion. Mars' armor is a knight's armors. You can see his lance being carried off by some lil fauns. One is even trying to wake up Mars with a shell horn. As we all know, sea shells are a symbol of Venus. She is trying to rouse him to get back to work. This scene takes place in the forest. Most Greek romances took place in the forest. However, originally this took place in the marital bed she shared with her crippled husband, Vulcan. What a pity..

The next one is a fresco of "Venus and the Graces Offering Gifts to a Young Girl" (1486). This fresco represents the kind of education that women  receive when they come of age. The young girl is the only one dressed in Italian 15th century dress. Next to her is a lil Cupid. Well, frescoes was basically paint on wet plaster. This kept the paint on the walls indefinitely. I guess he did not use a good primer coat. Then again, the fresco technique was a new thing. 

Here we see "Esther at the Palace Gate" (1480). She is listening to the news from her brother. She looks quite alarmed by her cousin's news. She has to inform the king of the plot to slay the king. Now, all she has to do is warn him to gain his favor. She looks lovely in her red dress. The palace really does look medieval. Works, just as well. 

Well, the last painting is called "Young Man Greeted by Seven Liberal Arts"  (1490). This one goes in par with the young Lady's fresco painting. Here the young man is receiving education. All the seven maidens represent the schools of education popular during Renaissance time. All young men had to know all these liberal arts before marriage. Its all a real bummer.

The Christ Paintings of Sandro Botticelli

Well, today ladies and gentlemen, I am going to talk to you about Jesus Christ. It is my hope that you embrace the Lord, with the same fervor as I do. Nah!! I am just messing with you. I am going to have to mention Christ from time to time. Its had to describe Jesus paintings without mentioning the Jesus (hehehehehe). Well, the first painting features the Resurrected Christ. In Botticelli's version, Christ is wearing the crown of thorns and has his wound still bleeding. He is showing the Longinus Lance wound at his heart. Just like the usual depictions, Christ's wound is emitting light. He looks like an icon because paintings back then helped the worshiper get closer to God. This one is different from the Gothic depictions because his looks are humanistic. He actually looks like a 3D being, with shadings and all. The source of light emanates from him (meaning that he glows in the dark).

 The next painting is called " The adoration of the Magi". The Magi basically followed a star to the birthplace of Jesus. Anyhow, this Botticelli's painting has a lot of contemporary people mixed in with other historical characters. This became common in paintings funded by private patrons. Botticelli's scenery  tries to mimic ancient Roman houses. The inside is open to allow for the viewer to see the inside of the barn. The scenery is divided between the Holy Family and their worshipers. Next to the horses (far left), I see a lil person (i.e midget). Lil persons usually accompanied kings and queens. They were their...pets...This one seems to be more of a diplomat. He actually has a sword and kingly pose. Perhaps, he was a favorite of the Medici. As for Jesus, there one of the Magi is kissing his lil foot. He is giving the usual blessing (you know, May God Bless you, in the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit). That's the meaning of the usual hand pose of Jesus.

 The next painting is called "Pity". It refers to the Virgin Mary's mourning of her dead son. Here the Virgin has Jesus on her lap. She seems to have fainted. John the Evangelist is trying to keep Jesus's body from falling, while consoling his Mother (i.e. the Virgin Mary. You remember, that in the cross Jesus asked the Beloved Apostle to take care of his mother?). Anyhow, the lady in red kissing the head of Christ is Mary Magdalene. Its popular belief that Mary Magdalene was in love with Jesus (then again, you could say the same thing about Peter. He was such a fan girl... no disrespect...hehehe). Speaking of which, Peter is behind Mary Magdalene. You can recognize him because he is carrying the keys to heaven. By the feet of Jesus there is Martha. She was with the Virgin Mary at the site of the crucifixion. Behind the Virgin, was another Mary. Yeah, Mary was a popular name. Then again, the one with the veil might be Saint Veronica. She was a saint that was said to have given her veil to help Christ drench the sweat from his forehead. There is no record of this Saint.  The old man is Joseph of Arimathea. He donated his own tomb to Jesus Christ. The other guy is Nicodemus (the guy with the sword). He helped prepare the dead body. Behind them we see the open grave. The grave looks less like a cave and more like a mausoleum. All, the figures are focused of Jesus. The Virgin Mary looks a bit older. She is usually portrayed as eternally youthful. What's usual is her swooning (as in fainting) figure. It was only later, during the Counter Reformation, that the Virgin was portrayed 100% strong all the time. Lets see, all figures express restrained emotions. They are not too crazy. They are also idealized (even the old guy).

This is another Adoration of the Magi. Here the Medici family has placed itself with the Holy Family. They are trying to equate themselves with the wise men. Don't forget, that Kings where part of the Medici. So, it makes sense they share the stage with the Magi. On the far right, the guy in brown is said to be Botticelli. This is the only character looking directly at the viewer. The rest are focused on the Holy Family. This scene takes place inside the barn. Its kinda ruined looking.

The next painting shows "The Flight Into Egypt". Here we see the Holy Family with their donkey. In the old days, the status of Joseph kept sinking. They always saw him as the third wheel in the lovely relationship between the Virgin and Jesus. He kinda does seem to be sinking into the background. The main figures are Jesus and the Virgin. Well, the story is that the Holy Family had to flee because Herod the Great was having one of those paranoid moods. You remember the slaughter of the Innocent? Nah, not really, its when Herod butchered all children from the age of 5 bellow. Call it Messiah paranoia. In those days, hundreds and thousands of wanna be Messiahs were wrecking Rome asunder. Herod the ever pragmatic one decided to slay all the children that came remotely close to the Magi's descriptions. You know, this seems like a parallel between the life of Jesus and Moses.  Well, over the top, the painting has good perspective. Between Joseph and the Donkey one does not see very much of the background. Also, the view is obstructed by some bushes. They all are finely detailed. The mantle of the Virgin has an interesting icon. You can see it near the legs of Jesus. Its the seven point stars (the one that the Magi followed to find Jesus) and ten droplets. Its a real bummer. Perhaps, its the symbol of the church or patron of the painting. 

The next one is called "Beweinung Christi".  Well, by now, you all folks know this arrangement. There is a maiden with the face covered in the Greek Fashion. The Greeks used to show indescribable sadness by having the maidens cover their faces with a veil. Works pretty well. The odd angle of Jesus head ads to the limp lifeless effect of the body. The only person gazing at the heavens is the man with the crown of thorns and the three nails. He seems to be asking something like, "God, why did you let your son die?". Its a real bummer the Crucifixion.

Here is The Adoration of the Magi (1500). This version is far more crowded than the others we seen thus far. In this one, there is more horizon and background.We get the feel that a huge crown is going to see Jesus. The barn is identical to a ruined Greek house (or temple, or just plain old Greek Ruins). This one too has some of Botticelli's contemporaries. I am not going to go too crazy about this one.

This painting shows Christ Carrying the Cross. The background shows the walls of a medieval castle. Behind Jesus, the Virgin is in a Greek grief pose. When she appears like this, the Virgin is called, La Dolorosa. The pressure on of the Cross on Jesus' body is a bit unnatural (like the wind).

The next one is Christ Crowned with Thorns. His pose is just the same as resurrected Christ. The only difference is the head position and his colors.

 The next one is Christ in the Sepulcher. If you notice, toward the far right you can see Christ carrying the cross. Toward the left, I noticed some swans by the river. Beyond the river, there is a church. Well, at the center is Christ. He is just getting out of a regular Italian tomb. By his right hand, there is a sacred palm. I think that's all to note on this painting.

The next one is the Mystic Crucifixion. At the foot of the cross is Mary Magdalene. She seems almost to be swept by the water or the earth. An angel before her is cutting a snake in half. Above her is Jesus. If you notice, by his left hand there is a sun with God ,the Father, inside it. God there shares room with the open Bible and the Holy Ghost's dove form. On the right, there is a strange rising black wind. Inside the wind, there are some Halberds (or spear axes). Raining from the left, I can see two falling white shields with a red cross. On the horizon, I see Rome and St. Peter's Basilica.  This painting is meant to explain the mystery of the Crucifixion. With his death, Christ destroyed sin (this is shown by the angel cutting the snake in half). The veil between man and God was finally shattered (this is shown by the light of God parting the darkness). Mary Magdalene represents all the repentant sinners that look upon this painting. I think that is all worth mentioning.

The next lil one is called  Novella. This scene takes place inside the barn. Through a hole in the wall we see the cow and the Donkey. Mary worships Jesus, while Joseph is melancholic. Ah, he really does not know what do with the pair. He is concerned with earthly matters, while Jesus and Mary are concerned with spiritual manners. Remember, in the real roman world, it would be hard to explain Jesus. Jesus was always referred as the son of Mary. Well, behind Mary there is John the Baptist. He is the lil boy with the pelts and the red cape. He was kinda added there to the mix.

The next painting is called  The Agony in the Garden. Here Jesus is asking to have the chalice be taken from him. The chalice being his death. Here the scene shows Jesus speaking with the angel of death.  Bellow him, closer to the viewers we see the sleeping followers. This fence creates a visual divide between the heavenly and the mundane. The viewer is on the mundane side of the fence. Eh, it works pretty well.

The next painting is called The Flagellation. Well, you know, the guys beating Jesus wear contemporary Italian attires. One is so poor that his shoe is broken up. The other guy looks to be wearing fancier, pink clothing. Both the rich and the poor are beating up Jesus. Jesus is tied up in a Greek marble column. The source of light is well defined. Its a bit stylized. 

The next one is The Resurrection. Here Christ is coming out of the grave. Beside him, two Italian knights are sleeping, unaware of the rising Christ. This alludes to the incident at Gethsemane, were Christ followers slept through his Chalice crisis.

The next one is called The Temptation of Christ (1482). In several scenes, the devil is showing Jesus all that he could have should he swear fealty to him. In the bottom, there is a healthy mix of people of Greek, and 15th century Italian origin. The architecture of the buildings looks from Renaissance times. Aw, I wanna hurry up a bit.

Well, here is the last painting featuring Jesus. This one is shows the Holy Trinity.On the right, I see John the Baptist. The other person with the wild hair, is Mary Magdalene after she took up an ascetic lifestyle. The two smaller figures are Tobias and the angel. The angel is giving him tips on exorcism demons via fishes. Well that is a story for another time. In the center, there is Jesus, the Holy Ghost dove and God, the father holding up the cross. To fill up the painting, Botticelli added a few cherubs. Those Cherubids always have made cute adorable fillers in a painting. I do not know much on the addition of the saints, and Tobias. It kinda felt as if they were added later. They are the only out of place figures in the Holy Trinity painting. 

Portraits by Sandro Botticelli

 Well, like it was to be expected. Here are some of Botticelli's portraits. You know, in the old days ,those that could afford it, had artist make portraits for them. Today, with the camera there is not need to have fancy doll up paintings.Needless to say, artist did not paint portraits for the fun of it. In those days, painting was a serious busyness. In any case, the first one is called  Portrait of a Lady or Esmeralda Brandini. Well, as I said before, the pink dress shows her gentleness. Her pose and the way she holds up the ends of her dress is meant to show that she is a lady. The golden fancy linens shows that she is filthy rich. The round belly shows that she is fertile. Due to the loss of 3/4 of the EU population (because of the black plague), fertility was highly valued. The ivory skin shows her purity. She is in an home setting of Greek design. Being home, assured chastity of maidens. For this reason, most paintings featured maidens inside their home. The pillar also shows that she is the pillar of her house. Her face is at a 3/4 angle looking straight at the viewer. She is serious because it is a state portrait. Her attributes are alluded to in minor details. However, whether she was funny or charming was of little consequences. This was done to focus more on the mental working of the sitters (or subjects of the painting). Emotion was useless in a Renaissance world.

 The next portrait features Lorenzo di Ser Piero Lorenzi. I think that guy is a Cardinal. He is wearing the Red Cardinal dress. He also has the hat. This one is just a simple, official portrait. Its nothing too far out there. His features are idealized. Still, one should be able to recognize the guy. Ok, lets just move on with the show.

 The next cutie is Simonetta Vespucci. Many believe that she was the face model for the Birth of Venus. I can see the resemblance. Her profile pose mimics ancient roman coins. You can see a lot of fine detail on her dress and hair. There are a lot of wires holding up her hair. One of them is even around her neck. She also has pearls on her hair. They are a symbol of purity. The dress is the color of passion. Botticelli added a window to show the source of light. One only sees the blue sky. In order to make her paleness stick out, most of the painting is black. I think that is everything worth mentioning about this pretty lady.

 The next painting features Catherina Sforza. She was the bastard child of a rich nobleman. She worked in many religious works. Also, she was known as a talented alchemist. Here she is with a quill (to show she is literate) and an alchemy stand. She is looking out the window. Her clothing is that of an alchemist. She is looking outside to allude to her love of hunting. She has a halo because in her last years she entered a nunnery. She was also quite the war lady. She stood up to the Machiavellian Prince Cesare Borgia (she was a regent at the time). When she lost her power she had to join the nunnery (diplomatic life was out of the question). The painting is kinda odd. The feather quill is getting out of the painted window frame.

 The next painting has the same illusionist frame. Here a lil bird is sharing the painting with Giuliano de Medici. His face is beaming with arrogance. His face is frozen in a looking down at all worms expression. Its funny cause this was made just a few days before he was assassinated. I can see why he was killed. He looks like such a prick. Behind him, again we see the open door.

 The next one is Portrait of a Man with the Medal of Cosimo the Elder. This guy is a priest. You can see it on his collard. Cosimo is a Medici guy. The young man's identity is unknown. He does have the most frail looking hands (like those of an artist). Its a bummer why he has the medal at his heart. In the background, we see a landscape. He also has a fraternity ring (you know, young men of all ages joined fraternities in those days. Much like today, except for the drinking rituals). I think that's everything.

 The next one is a Portrait of a Young Man (1469). I think he might be Cardinal or a student of sorts. He came out a bit yellow. His arrangement is just like the other Cardinal that Botticelli painted. Well, lets not dwell on this matter much longer.

The next one is a  Portrait of a Young Man with Red Cap (1477).  You know, I am starting to realize why historians think Botticelli was so totally gay. I mean, this is like the second portrait of a handsome nobody. You know, painting takes time and money.  So, why did he take the time, money and effort to paint those young men? Its a real bummer...

The next painting is a  Portrait of a Young Woman (1475). Judging by her shabby attire she must be a maid. The only sleeve we see has patchwork. Her cap is also simple. Her skin is also darkish, showing that she works outside. Her face is rather pretty. She also has a round fertile belly.

 Here is another Portrait of a Young Woman (1485). You can recognize her as Botticelli's Simonetta. She has like the best hairstyle ever made. Look at how her braids looks like a part of dress. Its really something else. Her pendant is also interesting looking. Here we can appreciate more of her ...chest.

The next on is a Portrait of Dante. For those that do not know, Botticelli never met Dante. This is how Botticelli imagined that Dante was supposed to look like. Dante has the poets' laurel crown of victory (and Apollo). Then again, there did exist a plaster death mask of Dante. Its a common gruesome practice of the time. When you could not get a painting done during the artist's life time; when they died, they did a quick plaster mold of their face to preserve for all time. So, they did have some basis for his face. In all of his depictions, Dante showed up in the red dress and with the laurel Crown. I suppose that is derived from his poem. I tried reading it, but I was not able to get past limbo.

The last one is the third painting of Simonetta Vespucci. This one was done at an earlier time than the others. Simonetta looks younger and her chest is smaller. She is wearing a red cloak like the Virgin or Venus. Her hair is red and pretty lovely. Again, there is a lil window behind her. However, the light is coming from a suggested window before her. Something to note is the black band on her arm. That's a promise. I suppose she was engage at the time this painting was made.