At the height of his fame, the Florentine painter and draughtsman Sandro Botticelli (born c1445 - died 1510) was one of the most esteemed artists in Italy. His graceful pictures of the Madonna and Child, his altarpieces and his life-size mythological paintings, such as "Venus and Mars" were immensely popular in his lifetime.
The period from 1478-90 saw Botticelli at his most creative. This was the period during which he produced his famous mythological works, such as 'The Birth of Venus' (in the Uffizi, Florence) and "Venus and Mars". In these he successfully combined a decorative use of line (possibly owing much to his early training as a goldsmith) with elements of the classical tradition, seen in the harmony of his composition and the supple contours of his figures.
During the last 15 years of his life, Botticelli's work appeared to undergo a crisis of style and expression.
The 1490s was a turbulent decade - the Medici had been expelled from Florence and Italy's peace disrupted by invasion and plagues. Botticelli rejected the ornamental charm of his earlier works in favour of a more simplistic approach that seemed crude and heavy-handed by contrast. These later paintings, with their deep moral and religious overtones, also suffered a comparison with the sophisticated aesthetic of artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael. After his death, his name all but disappeared until the late 19th century, when a developing appreciation for Florentine arts and culture brought about a renewed interest in his work.
For a more in-depth biography see part 1, and for earlier works, see parts I - 3 also.
This is part 4 of a 6-part series on the works of Sandro Botticelli:
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| c1488 The Virgin and Child with Four Angels and Six Saints tempera on panel 268 x 280 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| c1488 The Virgin and Child with Four Angels and Six Saints detail tempera on panel 268 x 280 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| c1488 The Virgin and Child with Four Angels and Six Saints detail tempera on panel 268 x 280 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1489 St Augustine fresco 152 x 112 cm Ognissanti, Florence |
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| 1489-90 The Annunciation of Cestello tempera on panel 150 x 156 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1490-92 Coronation of the Virgin (San Marco Altarpiece) tempera on panel 378 x 258 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1490-92 Coronation of the Virgin (San Marco Altarpiece) detail tempera on panel 378 x 258 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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1490-94 St Augustine in his Cell tempera on panel 41 x 27 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1490-95 Madonna and Child and the Young St John the Baptist tempera on canvas 134 x 92 cm Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence |
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| 1490-95 Portrait of Lorenzo di Ser Piero Lorenzi tempera on panel 50 x 36.5 cm Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA |
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| 1490-95 The Annunciation tempera on panel 49.5 x 61.9 cm Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow |
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| 1490-95 The Annunciation detail tempera on panel 49.5 x 61.9 cm Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow |
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| 1490-95 The Annunciation detail tempera on panel 49.5 x 61.9 cm Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow |
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| 1490-1500 Virgin and Child and Saint John the Baptist Child tempera on wood panel 75.5 cm diameter Art Museum of Sao Paulo, Brazil |
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| c1490-1500 Madonna and Child with the Infant St. John tempera and oil on poplar panel 93.6 x 76.2 cm Städel Museum, Frankfurt |
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| c1490-1500 The Adoration of the Christ Child tempera on panel 125.7 cm diameter North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC |
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| c1490-1500 The Virgin and Child with Saint John and Two Angels (Workshop of Botticelli) tempera and oil on wood 114 x 113 cm The National Gallery, London |
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| c1490 Angel chalk, traced with pen, washed and heightened with white 26.6 x 16.5 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1490s Madonna and Child by Workshop of Sandro Botticelli tempera on panel 84.5 diameter El Paso Museum of Art, Texas |
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| early1490s Pietà, The Lamentation over the dead Christ oil on poplar wood panel 140 x 209.2 cm Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| c1490 Pallas pen and bistre over black chalk on a pink ground 22 x 14 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| c1490 Portrait of a Man tempera on canvas transferred from wood 49 x 35 cm Private Collection |
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| c1490 The Madonna of the Pavilion tempera on panel 65 cm diameter Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan |
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| c1490 The Virgin and Child with Saint John and an Angel (Workshop of Botticelli) tempera on wood panel 84.5 diameter The National Gallery, London |
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| c1490 Virgin and Child with Two Angels tempera on poplar panel 115 cm diameter Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna |
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| c1490 Virgin and Child with Two Angels detail tempera on poplar panel 115 cm diameter Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna |
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| 1490s Portrait of a Youth medium? on wood panel 57 x 39 cm Louvre, Paris |
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| 1490s St Dominic tempera and oil on canvas transferred from panel, 45 x 26 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg |
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| 1490s The Last Communion of Saint Jerome tempera and gold on wood 34.3 x 25.4 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| 1490s Virgin and Child oil on panel 80 x 51 cm Private Collection |
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| 1491-93 Holy Trinity tempera on panel 215 x 192 cm Courtauld Gallery, London |
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| 1491-94 Trinity with Saint Mary Magdalen and Saint John the Baptist, Archangel Raphael and Tobias tempera (and oil?) on panel 214 x 192.4 cm Courtauld Gallery, London |
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| c1492 Annunciation tempera on panel 17.7 x 27 cm The Hyde Collection. Glen Falls, New York |
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| c1493 The Virgin and Child with Three Angels tempera on panel 65 cm diameter Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milan |
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| 1494-95 Calumny of Apelles tempera on panel 62 x 91 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1494-95 Calumny of Apelles detail tempera on panel 62 x 91 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1494-95 Calumny of Apelles detail tempera on panel 62 x 91 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1494-95 Calumny of Apelles detail tempera on panel 62 x 91 cm Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
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| 1495 Portrait of Dante tempera on canvas 54.7 x 47.5 cm Private Collection |
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