“Portrait of a Young Woman”
This lovely tempera painting, “Portrait of a Young Woman,” is by early Italian Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli. It was made in 1475 and is speculated to be a portrait of Simonetta, a well-known Renaissance beauty in her day.
Simonetta Cattaneo de Candia Vespucci was an Italian noblewoman originally from Genoa who moved to Florence after she married Marco Vespucci. In her day, she was known as the most beautiful woman within the entire city of Florence. Angelo Poliziano, the court poet to the Medici family in Florence, wrote many verses regarding Simonetta’s beauty. After her death, she was regarded as the most beautiful woman in the entirety of the Renaissance.
Simonetta was soon discovered by the prominent artists of the city, including Botticelli, who used her as a model. She died in 1476 at just 22 years of age, likely from pulmonary tuberculosis. The entire city mourned her passing. When Botticelli died 34 years later, he asked to be buried at her feet. They were both interred at The Church of Ognissanti in Florence, Italy. Botticelli was buried with his family.
There are many pieces from this period that are thought to depict Simonetta, including Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” and “Primavera“. Though they all appear to depict the same person, it is still unclear whether they are actually portraits of Simonetta herself. Since Botticelli was so smitten with Simonetta, and since many of the pieces from his workshop depict this very woman, I like to believe that this woman is Simonetta. And as such, I can see why the artists of her day wanted to paint her. She is a timeless beauty.
“Portrait of a Young Woman” is currently on display at the Gemäldegalerie, in the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, Germany.
For more on Sandro Botticelli, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
