Primavera.
Love
and the Gods.
The "Primavera" is one of a series of
mythological works executed by Botticelli after his return from Rome in
1482. The painting was commissioned by a cousin of Lorenzo Medici,
Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco, who was to become a faithful patron of
Botticelli's work.
The picture was hung in the bed-chamber
along with another work by Botticelli, "Pallas and the Centaur", and is
listed in an inventory of the contents of Pierfrancesco's Florentine
palace. It was probably painted as a celebration of the marriage of
Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici in 1482.
"Primavera"
c1482.
Uffizi,
Florence 203x314cm Tempera on panel. (w)
The picture celebrates the arrival of
spring and is filled with mythological symbolism. Venus, Goddess of
Love, is in the centre of an orange grove on her left Flora, Goddess of
Flowers and Spring, appears clad in garlands of flowers. Next to Flora
is the nymph Chloris, she is pursued by Zephyrus, God of Wind, who has
a burning passion for her. The Roman poet Ovid describes Chloris as
transforming into Flora, Goddess of Flowers, symbolising the beginning
of spring, and Botticelli has placed both figures side by side within
the same painting.
On the right of Venus are The three
Graces, female companions of the Love Goddess who perform their dance
at the onset of spring. Next to the Graces stands Mercury, Messenger of
the Gods, who inspects the orange grove and protects the garden from
intruders.
Floating overhead at the centre of the
picture is Amor, the son of Venus, he is blindfolded as he shoots his
arrows of love, their flaming tips certain to intensify the emotion of
love in whoever they strike.
The primary source for the picture comes
from a poem, "De Rerum Natura", by the classical poet and philosopher
Lucretius. This and the "Fasti", Ovid's Roman calendar, provided the
inspiration for Botticelli's Primavera.
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Zephyrus and Chloris. (s) Detail.
See how well Botticelli has captured the
emotion on the face of the nymph Chloris as she is seized by Zephyrus,
God of Winds, and begins her transformation into Flora, Goddess of
Flowers. |
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The
three Graces and Mercury, Detail. (s)
These
superbly drawn figures add to the charm and mystery of one of
Botticelli's most complex and analysed paintings.
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