The Birth of Venus
from 1484 until 1485
Botticelli’s iconic masterpiece captures the goddess of love arriving on a giant scallop shell, blown to shore by the playful winds of Zephyr and Chloris while a floral nymph eagerly awaits to drape her in a blossom-covered cloak. Painted during the Italian Renaissance for the Medici family, it was one of the first large-scale canvases in Florence to depict a pagan mythological scene rather than a religious one. Despite its fame today, the painting was actually considered a bit old-fashioned by the time it was finished, as the art world was already rushing toward the dramatic realism of the High Renaissance. You can still marvel at its ethereal, floating figures today at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Location: Uffizi Gallery, Florence