Sandro Botticelli’s paintings were thought to be among the best of the Renaissance not long after his death, notably by artists like the Pre-Raphaelites.
Venus, the newly-born deity, appears naked in a large seashell. The wind deity Zephyr blasts at her from the side, A feminine figure on the right is one of the three Greek minor deities of the seasons.
Venus’ anatomy is physically unusual, with an extended throat and torso. She is floating rather than standing. Her shoulders flow down into her limbs in the same line as her flowing hair.
It has long been assumed that the painting was funded by the Medici family, possibly by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, a key supporter of Botticelli.
The arrangement, with a center naked body and one to the side with an arm, lifted over the first’s head, and flying figures in presence, would have reminded Renaissance audiences of the customary imagery of Christ’s Baptism.
The posture of Botticelli’s Venus is based on the “Venus of Modesty” archetype from ancient Greece, in which the hands are held to hide the bosom and crotch.
In another painting from around 1490, Botticelli, or his studio, replicated the image of Venus. This life-sized piece features a similar person and stance.