Tempera painting, 172.5cm x 278.5 cm.

The Birth of Venus depicts Venus being born from the testicles of Uranus and floating to shore of Cyprus on a seashell. She is completely nude, using her hair to cover her genitals. Venus displays a serene look and relaxed body language. She is surrounded by minor deities. Zephyrus, the male figure and god of the west wind, blows Venus to the shore. The woman in his arms is debated, but she is either Chloris, Zephyrus's consort, or Aura, a goddess of weaker winds. The other woman is likely a goddess of seasons, most likely Hora, goddess of the summer.

Botticelli would later travel to Rome to paint biblical scenes and papal portraits. Upon his return to Florence, he would paint figures and scenes from Roman mythos, including The Birth of Venus. Botticelli has created numerous other works depicting Roman deities. Primavera and Venus and Mars also depict members of the Roman Pantheon.

He would go on to become one of the most esteemed and famous masters of the Italian Renaissance. But Botticelli's work would decline at the end of his life. After the Medici family was expelled, he became a follower of Savonarola and pivoted to strictly biblical scenes. He would lose much of his fortune and die in poverty.

It is likely that both Primavera and The Birth of Venus were commissioned by the Medici family. Not only were they a prominent family wealthy enough to afford two grand paintings, but the orange trees in the background serve as a symbol of the Medici. Regardless, these pieces were created to be seen by the ultrawealthy, and the average person living in Florence would not have viewed these works.

Venus was also a political symbol. Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici appropriated her image and used Venus to represent prosperity. After coming into power, Cosimo commissioned a nude, bronze statue of the female personification of Florence, resembling the image of Venus. The Medici family would commission several works regarding the goddess. This was not limited to visual arts, as poet Agnolo Poliziano was also likely commissioned by the Medici. It is possible that Botticelli also based his work on the poems of Poliziano.

There are two popular theories on the origins of Primavera and The Birth of Venus. The most accepted belief is that it was to celebrate the marriage between Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco to Semiramide Appia. Others believe that it was commissioned to symbolize Lorenzo de Medici's love life. Regardless, Venus is tied to the Medici family, and Botticelli was likely commissioned to represent an icon of both Florence and the Medici name.

However, The Birth of Venus omits some details. For example, the work was commissioned for a very elite family and does not showcase how the bourgeois class in Florence would have interacted with art.

Venus, the central figure, is a Roman goddess surrounded by lesser deities from Roman mythology. While they were no longer openly worshipped, the Roman pantheon were now cultural symbols as opposed to religious ones. Interestingly, The Birth of Venus also utilizes Christian elements. The composition is similar to popular depictions of the Baptism of Christ, where Venus is Christ and Hora is John the Baptist. This blending of antiquity and the modern showcases how two ideas can work in harmony, and how Christianity can influence views of older religion.

The Birth of Venus also represents humanistic ideals. Botticelli utilized several sources from antiquity, classical literary works, and poems of the time, such as Poliziano's. Botticelli was influenced by ancient authors and the Bible in his interpretation.

Sandro Botticelli may not have been a writer, but his work represents an immense amount of interest and research on Venus's arrival in Roman mythology. Botticelli valued the works of the past in conjunction with the spirituality of the present. The Birth of Venus demonstrates a Renaissance because of the humanist ideas in the subject matter and synthesis of the old and new.