Artwork

Copy after the Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli in the Uffizi (Florence)

Copy after the Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli in the Uffizi (Florence) is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist Sandro Botticelli. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

The Arundel Society paid for it to help people see famous pictures.

This watercolor shows Venus standing on a seashell by the shore. She’s nude, with two figures beside her. One blows wind, the other offers a cloak. Soft colors and smooth lines copy Botticelli’s famous painting.

Made in 1868, it wasn’t original work. Cesare Mariannecci painted this copy to spread images of old art. The Arundel Society paid for it to help people see famous pictures.

You’ll find the original in Florence. Go look up Botticelli, Sandro next.

Overview

This watercolour is a 19th-century copy of Sandro Botticelli's renowned 'The Birth of Venus'. Executed by Cesare Mariannecci in 1868, it reproduces the composition of the original, created circa 1484, which is housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Subject & Meaning

The artwork depicts Venus standing nude on a seashell by the shore, accompanied by two attendants, one blowing wind and the other offering a cloak. The scene embodies Neo-Platonic ideals of pure, non-carnal love, with Venus as its symbol.

Technique & Style

Mariannecci's copy is characterised by soft colours and smooth lines, faithfully replicating the style of Botticelli's original. The use of watercolour medium distinguishes it from the oil-on-panel technique of the 15th-century masterpiece.

History & Provenance

Commissioned by the Arundel Society (founded in 1848 to promote art knowledge through reproductions), this copy was part of an effort to popularise Renaissance art, particularly Italian 'primitives', during a surge of interest in the mid-19th century.

Context

Despite Botticelli's contemporaries like Fra Angelico and Ghirlandaio being well-known, his work gained widespread recognition only in the 1870s. This copy reflects the belated appreciation for his oeuvre.