Sandro Botticelli - The birth of Venus

• Title: The birth of Venus (Nascita di Venere)
• Artist: Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-1510)
• Date: c. 1485
• Medium: Tempera on canvas
• Dimensions: 173 × 279 cm

The “Birth of Venus” depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, having emerged nude and fully-grown from the sea, as the classical mythology had it.

The painting’s appeal is very sensual. Venus, in the center, is beautiful, fresh and pure, and her body shape follows the canonical beauty of Florentine Renaissance slim, with a little belly. The model for Venus is probably the famous beauty Simonetta Vespucci who died very young (cf the portrait on the right by Piero di Cosimo). On the left, the wind god Zephyr blowing at Venus with force, has a young female, probably Aura, the goddess of light breeze, holding on to him in a embrace. Their hair are flowing together. Roses are floating on the sea around them.