Florence of Lorenzo the Magnificent in period from 1470 to 1480 nurtures a feminine beauty that transcends human instincts.
It is a return to classical beauty imbued with the idea of Neo-Platonists.
Florence becomes a city of knights where a woman no longer has the role of a lady, but becomes a nymph, an inspiration, a reflection of beauty, spiritual value and intelligence.
Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli
Nothing happened by chance during the time of Medici and Lorenzo in Florence. Simonetta Vespucci was a model used by one social class for achievement of its goals and thus became a carrier of a political message.
Spring, Sandro Botticelli
In all this lies the currency of this woman and the ease with which we can put her in the present. The permanence of her myth is interesting, it is a symbol of the aesthetic idealisation, poetic charm, philosophy and politics of the social elite of the time.
Venus and Mars, Sandro Botticelli
Simonetta was married at the age of 16 to Marco Vespucci, a distant relative of Amerigo Vespucci, and died at the age of 23 of consumption. She has become a media phenomenon, the embodiment of perfection, goodness and beauty.
She was in love with Giuliano Medici, Lorenzo's brother, they were lovers, and he dedicated to her his win at a tournament as described by Policiano. Coincidentally, Giuliano was killed on 26 April 1478, on the day of Simonetta's death just two years earlier on 26 April 1476. Sandro Botticelli immortalized her in his paintings and Lorenzo posthumously dedicated her a sonnet.
Female portrait, Sandro Botticelli
She was not a sex symbol, nor seductive and challenging, but an aesthetic representative of an idea.
Female portrait, Sandro Botticelli
Long blond hair, slender body, white dress, white pearly teeth, beautiful face, gentle and harmonious, Simonetta was a reflection of the time and its tastes.
Simonetta Vespucci, Piero di Cosimo
Images Wikipedia
Images Wikipedia
Comentários