An Analysis of the iconography in Botticelli’s Primavera.
Botticelli’s Primavera is currently housed at the Uffizi Gallery
in Florence, it was painted by Sandro Botticelli in 1482.
First of all, the figure of Venus appears in the middle of the
composition (Fig.1). She is slightly off-set into the background and bare foot.
Although the red and white flowers at her feet can be attributed to the Goddess
Flora to her right, there is also an alternative meaning. The ground being
covered in red roses is a reference to the allegory of Venus and Apollo. This
was when Venus was so in love with Apollo that she ran barefoot across a white
rose field. By consequence, the white roses had been stained with the blood
from her feet. Therefore, red roses are a traditional symbol of love as is
Venus herself. Cupid (her son) is painted above her head and helps us identify
her as Botticelli’s portrayal of Venus was not in keeping with her original
depiction. Geraldine Herbert-Brown explains that the ‘iconography of the
national myth had been modified’ and thus was the ‘transition from the erotic
to the more dignified’; she was painted as a more ‘modest Venus in a long
garment standing in a non-erotic pose’.[1]
To the right of Venus stands the Goddess Flora, as explained earlier
Botticelli portrays her transformation from Chloris to Goddess. As with Venus,
Botticelli is said to have also represented the ‘challenges for interpreting
imagery of Flora’[2]
in that she is shown during transformation and ultimately shown as pregnant.
However, although some aspects of her imagery is less conventional, Ann B.
Shteir notes that this pregnancy displays her ’fecundity as she strews flowers
from her lap’.[3]
As the Goddess of Flowers and the season of Spring, the flowers surrounding her
and the allusion to fertility (commonly associated with Spring) illustrates the
‘traditions of Flora within visual culture’ alongside some of Botticelli‘s
unique representations of her.[4]
Painted opposite are the three Graces. Typically, the three graces
represent the likes of charm, beauty and creativity. Yet again, Botticelli’s
take on the mythological figures are somewhat unique. The classical portrayal
of such is discussed in Jane Chances research on the works of Remigius of
Auxerre:
Although the Graces are three, they have one name, “Carite,” and one
beauty (“unius pulchritudinis”) and are depicted nude because it is not possible
for grace to be fictitious or insincere, and as one turning away from us (“una
nobis aversa”) and two toward us (“duae nos respicientes”) because “ gratia
simpla a nobis profecta dupla solet reverti” [“a single kindness (or favour)
coming from us usually return two-fold”].[5]
What is made clear from this passage is that Botticelli has stayed true
to the classical depiction of “una nobis aversa” (one of the trio with her back
turned to us) whilst straying from this in the fact that they are not
completely nude.
Lastly, Mercury is also depicted in Primavera to the left of the graces.
He is shown turning away from the other figures. He is only identifiable by his
clothes: a robe in the style of a Roman Toga (an allusion to Mars being the
leader of the Roman army) with a helmet and sword. His iconography in this
composition is slightly confusing as he is not depicted at Venus’ side. A
possible interpretation of this could be that Botticelli had decided to allude
to Mars’ previous identity as the God of Agriculture (hence the attention being
paid to the fruit tree above).[6]
In conclusion, it is clear to see that while Botticelli had altered the
conventional iconography of the figures in his Primavera, he was by no
means uneducated in this respect. Evidence of this can be seen in the graces,
for example. The subtle positioning of the grace with her back to us was
certainly no mistake but the consequence of his in-depth knowledge of the
classical Gods. His portrayal of the Gods, Goddesses and graces therefore have
been altered in order to comply with the meaning he was trying to convey
instead of a lack of knowledge.
[1] G.
Herbert-Brown, the Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68 (Oxford
University Press, Oxford, 1994), 84.
[2] A. B. Shteir, Figuring it Out:
Science, Gender and Visual Culture, (Dartmouth College, UK, 2006), 9.
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] J. Chance, Medieval
Mythography: From Roman North Africa to the School of Chartres, AD 433- 1177 v.
1, (University Press of Florida, Florida, 1994), 260. The chapter from
which this passage came is titled ‘Remigius of Auxerre on Martianus
Capella’. Remigius of Auxerre was a 10th century Benedictine Monk who wrote prolific
commentaries on classical Greek and Latin texts. Here, Chance analyses his commentaries on the earlier 5th century Pagan writer, Martianus Capella, on
his iconography of the three graces.
[6] K. N. Daly, M.
Rengel, Greek and Roman Mythology A-Z, (Infobase Publishing, USA, 2004),
81.
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