BOTTICELLI’S «PRIMAVERA». A BOTANICAL INTERPRETATION

If we were to pick one artist as the most representative of the Uffizi Galleries, it would most likely be Botticelli rather than Michelangelo.” These are the words penned by Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi, for the introduction of this book. After all, Botticelli’s popularity with the general public, his frequent mentions, and the wealth of gadgets he inspires are testimony to the soundness of this claim. But it is ultimately the Primavera, an icon of the imagination and an undisputed symbol of the Renaissance, that towers above it all. Leaving little more to say. In the book we present here, however, the key to understanding Botticelli’s work and its meanings are the flowers and plants of the meadow where the scene of his masterpiece takes place. An interpretation that brings out a world of meanings and suggestions that gently lead us into the very heart of that extraordinary period of time that goes by the name of the Renaissance.