Figure 4.11 The Battle of San Romano, 1438–40, by Paolo Uccello, 182 × 320 cm, tempera on wood, National Gallery, London. The artist’s fascination with war and weaponry can be seen in the amazing detail of soldiers and armour, right down to the nails in the horseshoes.
Marriage Paintings
Marriage was the most important family ceremony in Renaissance Florence, so Botticelli’s most famous works are linked to Florentine wedding customs. Paintings of love were traditionally displayed in the newly married couple’s bedroom in the groom’s family home.
Mythology
Mythological themes were popular in the Medici household. Botticelli’s paintings took these themes in a completely new direction, inspired partly by Classical poetry and partly by the Renaissance ideal of beauty.
The paintings Primavera and The Birth of Venus clearly show Botticelli’s interest in the themes of love and mythology. Primavera symbolises the fruition of love in marriage and The Birth of Venus symbolises the birth of love in the world. Both paintings were loosely based on the mythological poetry of the Florentine poet Boccaccio and feature some of the most beautiful nude figures of the Renaissance.
Primavera
Figure 4.12 Madonna and Child, 1460–5, by Fra Filippo Lippi, tempera on panel, 92 × 63.5 cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
Venus, the ancient Roman goddess of beauty and fertility, is surrounded by allegorical figures of virtues and gods (Fig. 4.13). All the women are pregnant as they celebrate the arrival of spring.
