Early Renaissance · c. 1485
The Birth of Venus
Venus reaches shore on a shell, pushed by wind and welcomed with a flowered cloak. Botticelli made an ancient myth feel weightless and new.
- Made
- c. 1485
- Style
- Early Renaissance
- Collection
- Uffizi Galleries, Florence
From museum to game table
The in-game crop
The card adds paint spaces, rewards and a frame. This crop shows the artwork area used during play, without the card rails.
The short history
What happened here?
The scene shows Venus arriving on Cyprus after her birth from the sea. Zephyr blows from the left. A figure often identified as Spring waits on shore with a richly patterned mantle.
Botticelli painted on canvas, still an unusual support for a large Florentine work. Gold touches once caught light in Venus's hair. The bodies favor elegant line over strict anatomy.
The exact patron and original setting remain uncertain. The Medici circle and the poetry of Agnolo Poliziano shaped the world around the picture. By the nineteenth century, the work had become a defining image of Renaissance Florence.
Look closer
Three details worth finding
- 1Roses carried on the wind
- 2The dark outline around each figure
- 3Tiny gold highlights in Venus's hair
Sources
Read further
Museum records come first. Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons provide useful public background and image records.