Sandro Botticelli: The Golden Age of Florence (Part 1)

Sandro Botticelli created some of the most alluring images of the Italian Renaissance, but who was he and how did he transform the history of art? And was his great masterpiece Primavera originally conceived as an instruction manual for a young bride's wedding night? Join Alastair and James as they begin a two part series on the life and work of a Renaissance master.

If you want to see the artworks discussed in this episode you can switch on video in your podcast app at any time.

Artworks in this episode:
Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, c.1480s, Uffizi, Florence
Fra' Filippo Lippi, Madonna and Child with Two Angels, c.1460-65, Uffizi, Florence
Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Youth, c.1482-85, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Young Man holding a Roundel, c.1480, Private Collection
Jan van Eyck, Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?), 1433, National Gallery, London
Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of Smeralda Bandinelli. c.1475, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Man with the Medal of Cosimo de' Medici the Elder, c.1474-75, Uffizi, Florence
Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of Michele Marullo, c. 1500, Private Collection
Sandro Botticelli, Adoration of the Magi, c.1475, Uffizi, Florence
Sandro Botticelli, Giuliano de' Medici, 1478-80, Uffizi, Florence
Sandro Botticelli, Possible portrait of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, c.1479, Uffizi, Florence
Donatello, David, c.1440s, Bargello, Florence
Sandro Botticelli, Pallas and the Centaur, c.1482, Uffizi, Florence

Recommended Reading:
Ana Debenedetti, Botticelli: Artist and Designer, 2024
Mark Evans, Botticelli Reimagined, 2016
Walter Pater, Studies in the History of the Renaissance, 1873

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Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Social Producer: Grace Dewar
Producer and Editor: Ben Harding
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac