Sandro Botticelli’s painting Primavera shows Venus, Cupid, and figures from classical mythology.
The large tempera panel was probably painted in Florence in the late 1470s or 1480s. Its exact subject is debated, but the figures are commonly identified as mythological characters including Venus, Cupid, the Three Graces, Mercury, and Zephyrus with Chloris and Flora. The rich orange grove and spring imagery help explain the title, which means “Spring” in Italian.
Primavera belonged to the Medici family and was likely made for a Medici residence. It is now in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, where it is displayed near Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. A common mix-up is assuming that the two paintings formed a single pair or were created for exactly the same purpose; their original commissions and dates are not securely documented.