Simonetta Vespucci
Listen to ArtMuse’s episode on Simonetta Vespucci, a Genoese noblewoman living in Florence during the 15th century. Deemed the most beautiful woman in all of Florence, Simonetta captured the heart of Florence’s greatest leaders, artists, poets, and intellectuals of her time.
It is believed that Simonetta was the model for Botticelli’s two greatest works; The Birth of Venus and Primavera.
But Simonetta Vespucci’s real life has been clouded by long held folklore and fantasy. In this episode, we peel back the many layers of myth and give Simonetta, as a woman in her own right, the recognition she deserves.
Listen to ArtMuse’s episode on Simonetta Vespucci:
This episode is produced by Kula Production Company.
REFERENCES
Allan, Jusith Rachel. “Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci: Beauty, Politics, Literature and Art in Early Renaissance Florence.” Academia.Edu, 15 Sept. 2016.
Staley, Edgcumbe. Famous Women of Florence. MLIbrary, 2011.
FURTHER REFERENCES
IMAGES
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, tempura on canvas, 1484-1486.
Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, tempura on canvas, late 1470’s-early 1480’s.
Piero di Cosimo, Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci, oil on panel, 1490.
Palazzo degli Spinola as it stands in Genoa today.
Giorgio Vasari, Portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent, oil on wood, 1534.
Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of Giuliano de’ Medici, oil on panel, 1478.
The workshop of Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci), tempura on wood, 1480.
The workshop of Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci), tempura on wood, 1480-1485.
The workshop of Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci), tempura on wood, mis 1480’s.
Simonetta Sancristoforo Cattaneo della Volta, Simonetta Vespucci’s verified descendant.
