BOTTICELLI  - THE BIRTH OF VENUS - PAGE 2

Searching for the True Author

Eye opening

- There are questions arising about whether it was Botticelli that created Birth of Venus and Primavera, or if it was Leonardo DaVinci.
- Before 1550, art historian Giorgio Vasari documented that both paintings were situated in the Villa di Castello outside Florence where they were associated with Lorenzo Medici, il Magnifico.
- Otherwise known as Lorenzo the Magnificent of the powerful banking, church and ruling family in Florence in the early 16th-century.

Country home

- By 1815, because of their location, both paintings were attributed to Sandro Botticelli, who worked for the Medici, and accordingly, they were placed close by in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
- At that time there was no evidence who painted them, other than a rumor that they were painted for a Medici wedding and intended to decorate a country home.

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	Sisters

- Some scholars believe these two paintings were created as background scenery, for plays related to wedding celebrations in Milan, of sisters Isabelle d'Este in 1490, and Beatrice d'Este in 1491.
- It's not hard to imagine Leonardo drawing in such a cartoon-like style, compared to his more formal sfumato, especially for greeting card type memorials made for a joyful wedding event.

Spring

- It may have been Leonardo's version of a Hallmark card to the bride and groom, you never know.
- It's also been determined that both Birth of Venus and Primavera depict different stages of Neoplatonist thought, one being the virginal and the other the pregnant spring.
- Which means it would be reasonable to think that each of the sisters would receive one of the paintings as a gift.

Pup

- The two artists did have connections; as a young man Botticelli worked alongside a teenage DaVinci in the workshop of the sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio.

Birth of Venus  Botticelli

Dragon lady 'heir' Isabelle d' Este

- Isabelle d' Este (1474-1539), is the identity of, the floating figure of Venus. 
- She was married to Francesco II Gonzaga in 1490.
- More traditionally, to many art historians,Venus represents Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci who had died 14 years earlier and was a supposed lifelong love interest of Botticelli's.
- She was oftentimes called his muse.
- There is no evidence that Botticelli ever met or painted Simonetta from life.

Dragon lady 'heir'

- To the right, hidden in her tangles of hair, a subliminal snake, as big as a dragon.
- This symbol is the main element, in the Sforza family coat-of arm's and they were one of Leonardo's main patrons.

Leda and the Swan  DaVinci

1505-1510

- DaVinci's Leda and the Swan is very similar to Botticelli's Birth of Venus and they both were both painting during the same period.

Mona Lisa  DaVinci

Isabella? 1503-1506

Mona view

- Further arguments focus upon the mountains in the background indicating the native origin of the subject, and the armrest in the painting as a Renaissance symbol used to identify a portrait as that of a sovereign.
- The Louvre's reservation is that Isabella would be a 'blonde,' a feature that exists only in the widely circulated but uncertain representation in one painting called Isabella in Black.

Women combed their hair every day — this is how they cleaned it — then braided and styled it. When they did wash their hair, it took a whole day. Noblewoman Isabella d’Este wrote in a letter (dated January 25, 1494) that her reply to her husband, Francesco II Gonzaga, was one day late because it took her that long to dry her head. While it may have been an excuse, it was a believable one. (Emanuele Lugli)

Isabella d'Este DaVinci

1499-1500

Isabella d'Este again

- Interestingly, it seemed that fellow artists had it out for Leonardo because Isabella d'Este's who owned an important art gallery, felt that Sandro Botticelli and Andrea Mantegna were 'old school' and Leonardo was more modern.
- There seemed to be quite a bit of jealousy against Leonardo from these two artists and apparently one of the reasons he left Florence for Milan in 1481.

The Parnassus Mantegna

1496-1497 Isabella d'Este as Venus

- The Parnassus is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506), created in 1497.
- It wasn't only Leonardo that they took their anger out on, Mantegna mockingly painted Isabella d'Este's (Marchioness of Mantua) as Venus because he was in a rage because of her views about his artwork which she previously had always enjoyed.
- Isabella was widely sought as a model apparently.

Venus de Milo

- Isabella wanted Leonardo to paint her, which just happened to enrage Mantegna all the more so he painted her as a harlot.
- It's unclear if DaVinci painted her because preliminary sketches were found so he was definitely thinking about it.
- From Mantegna's came the allegory of Isabella d'Este as Venus and her husband Francesco II Gonzaga as Mars.

After 1497, Mantegna was commissioned by Isabella d'Este to translate the mythological themes written by the court poet Paride Ceresara into paintings for her private apartment (studiolo) in the Palazzo Ducale. (Wikipedia)

Man throwing stone apples

- Some say that Isabella d’Este, portrayed as a naked Venus, is arm in arm with Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici shown as Mars, and not her husband.
- de' Medici had fled from Florence, and on his way to Venice visited  the Marchioness Isabella d’Este.

Isabella d’Este, who married Francesco II in 1490, rapidly decided to create a studiolo in a tower of the old Castello di San Giorgio. The work on this project lasted more than twenty years. She entrusted Mantegna with the first two canvases of the cycle, Parnassus (1497) and Minerva (1502), but considering his work out-of-date, she turned to the most famous painters of the new generation. (mini-site.louvre.fr)

Isabella portrayed as harlot

Beatrice d'Este

- The figure on the right in the Birth of Venus is Beatrice d'Este (1475-1497), who holds the head of a subliminal dragon in the folds of the red scarf.
- She was the wife of Ludovico Sforza and the Duchess of Milan from 1491-1497.
- Charles VIII and his cousin, Louis of Orléans were met by riots when Beatrice greeted them on September 11, 1494.
- Both performed French style 'kiss and touch' on Beatrice which riled the Italians who did not appreciate.

Beatrice d'Este raised in Naples

- The two sisters had a father that beheaded his wife and then died of poisoning.
- After she and her sister were left half-orphaned, King Ferrante (King Ferdinand I) of Naples, her grandfather on her mother's side, convinced her mother to leave both Beatrice and a newborn brother in Naples when she was 2.
- She was adopted by her grandfather.and lived there in Duchy of Ferrara for 8 years.

Beatrice's life was cut short

- Her new husband, Ludovico regarded her as a 15-year-old child and unfortunately, she was just a political pawn.
- Political alliance between the Ferrarese house of Este and the Milanese house of Sforza.

Beatrice d'Este DaVinci

The Real Beatrice

- Her father, Niccolo III, Signore di Ferrara, Modena e Reggio (1393-1441), considered her a disgrace because she wasn't a male.
- She was reluctantly promised in marriage to Duke of Bari Ludovico Maria Sforza (1452-1508), the Moor, 39, at age 10.
- Due to her age, the marriage was pushed back to May 1490, because the Duke postponed several times.
- He was already in a relationship with Cecilia Gallerani, his mistress.

Milan burning

- Beatrice's life was cut short by death through childbirth, January 3, 1497, at the age of 22.
- Her funeral was one of the most lavish of Renaissance funerals and she was buried in her finest golden robe.
- On the night of her death, the skies over Milan were filled with firey flames.

Beatrice d'Este DaVinci Circle

Leonardo DaVinci, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 1500

Medici Orsini

- The two figures, flying in from the left, are Lorenzo Medici, Botticelli's boss, and his wife Clarice Orsini.
- Clarice and Lorenzo wed in 1469, after the marriage was arranged by Lorenzo's mother, Lucrezia, who wanted her eldest son to marry a woman from a noble family to enhance the social status of the Medicis.

The political nature of her marriage meant that she was often called upon by each side of her family to influence the other. This included Lorenzo helping her brother Rinaldo get selected as Archbishop of Florence. She was also called on by others throughout the area to support their requests to her husband. People sought her support in easing taxes and releasing family members from exile or prison. She would also use her network to gather information about political and military events away from where she was, including troop movements and battles. (Wikipedia)

Mother of Pope Leo X

- In March 1467, Lucrezia reported back to her husband Piero de’Medici about the potential alliance between the Medici and Orsini.
- Lucrezia’s letters clarify how important clothing and beauty was to the political and social movements of the Renaissance world.
- The Medici matriarch’s concern proved needless, as Clarice gave birth to 10 children, 6 survived into adulthood.
- One of Clarice’s sons was Pope Leo X.

Milan 1491

- The Duke of Milan and Beatrice's wedding in 1491 turned out to be the biggest event Leonardo ever devised.
- Not only did he create the menu, entertainment and decoration, but he even designed what guests would wear, including their hats.
- Leonardo's ingenious dining room layout, which was one long table where diners all sat on the same side was very different than the typical circle that most tables were arranged in.

Leonardo's involvement in wedding planning went beyond the visual spectacle. He also designed aspects like the menu, entertainment, and even the guests' attire. His innovative dining room layout, with guests seated along one side of a long table, was an idea he later utilized in his iconic painting The Last Supper. (Assistant)

Picasso was here

 
- Leonardo designed the wedding ceremony and elaborate settings for several weddings and even had the informal title of 'Master of Feasts and Banquets.'
- While at the Sforza Court his tasks encompassed planning various celebrations, including weddings.
- He would oversee every detail, from the decorations and costumes to the special effects and stage sets.

Leonardo DaVinci was indeed involved in designing and orchestrating elaborate wedding ceremonies and settings during his time as a court artist and "Master of Feasts & Banquets". (Assistant)

Mystical Nativity Botticelii

Golden polenta cake

- DaVinci is credited with creating a spectacular 200-foot-long edible altar made of cake and polenta presented in the same manner as pizza.
- A 'polenta altar' isn't a standard term, but it refers to a tradition where polenta is served on a large wooden board, often with toppings and sauces, and shared by a group of people.
- This creation was commissioned by Ludovico Sforza for his wedding to Beatrice d'Este, as a unique and extraordinary feature for the celebration.

Polenta is a dish of boiled cornmeal, originating in Northern Italy, and is a staple in Italian cuisine. It can be made with various grind sizes of cornmeal, from coarse to fine, and can be cooked into a creamy porridge or allowed to solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. Polenta is often served as a base for stews, braised meats, or roasted vegetables. (Assistant)

 

Farro wheat

- While polenta, the Italian cornmeal dish, is now a staple, it wasn't always made with corn.
- In ancient Italy, a similar dish called "puls" was made from farro, millet, or chickpea flour.
- Corn, and therefore cornmeal, arrived in Europe after the Columbian Exchange in the 16th century.

Rat

- However, the story includes an unfortunate ending because rats ate the majority of the altar the night before the wedding, and it had to be recreated.
- The wedding was reportedly postponed to allow DaVinci time to craft a new altar.

 

Possibly the greatest feat to come out of Da Vinci's stint as the Sforza’s Food and Beverage Manager was the Ultima Cena (‘Last Supper’) painting, arguable one of the world's most famous paintings. It was commissioned by the Duke Ludovico Sforza and curiously, the small vineyard with which Sforza paid Da Vinci for the Last Supper is located right next to the location where the painting finally came to rest (and where it can still be viewed today), in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. (la-tavola.it)

Footprint

- Some claim this story isn't true but it's not hard to imagine 300 guests or so going through this amount of food, and it's doubtful that the 'rats' ate all of it, they probably just walked through it.
- Or possibly it was vermicelli mixed in similar to a type of Botticelli pasta or sauce.
- Also the Chinese year of the rat included Leonardo who was born in 1452.

 

Etymology. from Italian vermicelli "pasta similar to but thinner than spaghetti," literally, "little worms," from verme "worm," from Latin vermis "worm" — related to vermin. (Assistant)

Neoplatonic laurel wreath

- Botticelli didn't just paint graceful figures, he encoded Neoplatonic ideas about beauty as a reflection of the divine.
- The church may have ruled the surface, but beneath the brushstrokes, Renassance artists like Botticelli and DaVinci were part of a quiet revolution.
- That is why Botticelli's work is so similar to DaVinci's Baptism of Christ and is able to merge the mythological and the evangelical in synergy with Florentine neoplatonic philosophy.

Vermicelli rises

- The most confusing part; DaVinci was a distinguished leader in the Neoplatonist Movement, however, Botticelli was associated with the Neoplatonists only through his 'earlier' paintings.
- For the most part, Botticelli was a Christian, as is the subject, of many of his later paintings and his apparent devotion to Dominican Friar  Girolamo Savonarola who was busy burning artwork that was not explicitly Christian.

Red dragon roars

- Botticelli was a devout follower of Savonarola; who instituted the burning of salacious art, in his Bonfires of the Vanities in Florence.
- As a result of his association with Savonarola, Botticelli eventually quit painting but the question that remains is whether he became devout as he aged, but was not so much in his youth.
- That does seem to happen with a lot of individuals.

Divine connection with nature

- Additionally, the Birth of Venus, painted in 1485, is a Neoplatonic anthem to man's perfection and his divine connection with nature.
- It was hidden away, because, if it had been in Florence where Botticelli was painting, it would have been burned as sacrilegious art in one of the Christian Inquisition's.
- Some say that Botticelli painted on canvas, not his normal media, because he could roll it up and hide it for fear of being charged as a heretic, but really?

Beautiful landscape

- Botticelli was quoted as saying he didn’t like painting landscapes, and that “by throwing a sponge soaked with different colors at a wall, one can make a spot in which a beautiful landscape can be seen.”

Magdalene

- Ironically, Jesus' own teachings show very clearly that he seemed to follow a Neoplatonic type of philosophy.
- Although, Magdalene was the only one who understood, and the only one of the Apostles willing to teach his true beliefs.
- The male Apostles were afraid of being rejected and scorned by the congregation, afraid of looking 'crazy.'

Tempera grassa

- Another intriguing clue is that the Birth of Venus is painted on canvas with tempera grassa, a method pioneered by Leonardo DaVinci, not typically used by Sandro Botticelli, if ever.
- Tiny black dots reveal that the image was transferred to canvas, with a transparent paper pounce pattern stencil.
- There are too many dots, for the image to have been made, in the traditional manner, and like other pieces of DaVinci's work, there are questions about whether he created an optical image, photographically derived, with the use of a camera obscura.

Vinci initials

Bird

Venus and Mars Botticelli

Leonardo DaVinci as Mars with bird on forehead

Iron Maiden

The damned man

- A ‘fallen angel’ motif representing Leonardo can be found in the Birth of Venus and was a reference that ties to Botticelli's Venus and Mars painting where the three small figures are teasing and taunting Mars, known as Leonardo DaVinci, the damned man.

Adoration of the Magi Botticelli

Shady character

- Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi painting has been dated as 1475, although Giuliano Medici, one of the main characters, wasn't murdered until 1478, it appears that Botticelli's date should really be 1480.
- There is other evidence that the date should be pushed back to 1481 because of elements from DaVinci that Botticelli incorporated in his version.
- So here is more confusion over the apparent intertwining of Botticelli and Davinci, who's copying who?
- Or who is who?

Sphinx stones

- Th right side of the stone wall represents the sejant erect heraldic lion which is the symbol of Florence known as the Marzocco.
- It is placed alongside the infant Jesus and symbolizes the sacrificial Lamb of God, it becomes the Lion and Lamb peace symbol.
- Sculpted from the rock shelf which Joseph is leaning on can be seen a head representing Leonardo DaVinci.
- When this is merged with the lion feature, it produces a sphinx-like form of half-man and half-lion.

Leonardo as bird with wing

- DaVinci was a favorite satirical target for Botticelli and is portrayed with his protective winged left arm of God in Adoration of the Magi.
- Leonardo was often shown as a bird wearing rose pink and here he is wearing a winged cloak this color, with one foot hidden behind a curtain, like a bird perched on one leg.
- Of course, he was known to often wear this color and this has been documented.

Hidden

- But there are questions remaining; was Isabella d'Este really so loved and hated by all these male artists?
- Why was Leonardo the brunt of so many Botticelli jokes?
- Were they one and the same person?
- So many of these artists would travel from city to city and use different names to sign their work, especially unknown young artists.

Resting

- If they signed them at all, Botticelli only signed one painting.
- The name Botticelli itself was a nickname (little barrel), not his birth name.
- In Italian, barrel translates as la canna cane, barrel, rod, reed, pipe, canna.
- It does seems possible that DaVinci was Botticelli and he used all the 'jokes' against himself as lively advertising.
- We'll keep connecting up the dots.

In Italian, "botti" can mean either "barrels" or "fireworks," depending on the context. It's the plural form of "botte" (barrel) and "botto" (a bang, crack, or shot). When referring to New Year's Eve celebrations, "botti" specifically means fireworks, (Assistant)

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