Botticelli: Primavera, about 1478, on a wood panel (6'8"x10'3 1/2"), Uffizi Gallery, Florence

The artist Sandro Botticelli shows us a dreamy pagent, played by the flower people of Florence. But who are they and what are they doing in the woods?

On the right Zepher pursues the earth nymph Chloris. When he touches her flowers come from her breath, and she is metamorphosed into Flora, the herald of spring. This is a triad of beauty (Flora) emerging from chastity and passion. On the left the story continues with the Graces: Castitas, or chastity, is about to be struck by the blindfolded Cupid's arrow and is being initiated into the mystery of love by Pulchritudo, on her right, and Voluptus, on her left, Meanwhile, still according to Wind, "Venus tempers the dance and keeps its movements withen a melodious restraint." for part of the paradox in all this is that the triads of figures on the right and the left are really the aspects of Venus herself.

What about Mercury? Well, one of his roles was leader of the Graces. Also, in the picture he seems to be turning toward the Beyond, and touching the divine clouds through which we humans half glimpse heavenly thruths. Renaissance mythologists identified the oranges to the golden apples of the Hesperides.

Botticeli's fully clothed young matron is Venus-Humanitas. The Italian historian Roberto Salvini goes on to conclude that the Primavera is "an allegory of the kingdom of Venus, of the ideal world where nature and instinct, embodied in the erotic Zephyr and Flora, are enobled by culture, and civilization, embodied by Venus (Humanity) accompanied by the Graces." Ficino says the god Mecury represents good advice.

from "The Anatomy of a Masterpiece"

Roy McMullen