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33:
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around her neck. Yet how closely this resembles
Simonetta is uncertain, not least because it is a posthumous portrait created about 14 years after her death. (Worth noting as well is the fact that Piero di Cosimo was only 14 years old the year of Simonetta's death.) The museum that currently houses
269:
in Genoa; the doge Piero il
Fregoso and much of the Genoese nobility were present. Marco had been sent to Genoa by his father, Piero, to study at the Banco di San Giorgio. Smitten with Simonetta, Marco was accepted by her parents as their daughter's prospective bridegroom; they likely felt that the
328:
Simonetta
Vespucci died just one year after the joust, on the night of 26–27 April 1476. She was twenty-two at the time of her death. She was carried through the city in an open coffin for all to admire, and there may have existed a posthumous cult about her in Florence. Her husband remarried soon
250:
wrote that her home was "in that stern
Ligurian district up above the seacoast, where angry Neptune beats against the rocks ... There, like Venus, she was born among the waves." Her father was a Genoese nobleman named Gaspare Cattaneo della Volta (belonging to the same family of 16th-century
562:
pictured above, credited to the workshop of Sandro
Botticelli, Ronald Lightbown claims they were creations of Botticelli's workshop that were likely neither drawn nor painted exclusively by Botticelli himself. Regarding these two paintings he also notes that "shop...executed portraits of
316:, meaning "The Unparalleled One". Giuliano won the tournament, and nominated Simonetta as "The Queen of Beauty" at that event. It is clear that Simonetta had a reputation as an exceptional beauty in Florence, but Giuliano's display should be considered within the conventions of
368:
painted portraits of noblewomen, several of which are attributed as portraits of
Simonetta, but proof is difficult to establish. It has been postulated that some of his later works also contain representations of her. He finished one of his most famous paintings,
396:– the parish church of the Vespucci – in Florence. His wish was carried out when he died 34 years later, in 1510. However, this had been Botticelli's parish church since he was baptized there, the church contained works by him, and he was buried with his family.
387:
The vulgar assumption, for instance, that she was
Botticelli's model for all his famous beauties seems to be based on no better grounds than the feeling that the most beautiful woman of the day ought to have modelled for the most sensitive
428:
589:, questions the identity of its alleged subject and titles it "Portrait of a woman, said to be of Simonetta Vespucci", noting that the inscription of her name at the bottom of the painting may have been added at a later date.
403:
that was very probably modeled on her; so he does seem to have painted her once at least, though that particular image is now lost. Botticelli's principal Medici patron, Giuliano's younger cousin
282:
Simonetta and Marco were married in
Florence that same year. According to legend, Simonetta quickly became popular at the Florentine court, and attracted the interest of the Medici brothers,
375:, around 1486, 10 years after Simonetta's death; some have claimed that Venus, in this painting, closely resembles her. This claim, however, is dismissed as a "romantic myth" by
476:
502:
524:
392:
Some art historians, including John Ruskin, suggest that
Botticelli had fallen in love with Simonetta, a view supported by Botticelli's request to be buried in the
458:
258:) and her mother was his wife, Cattocchia Spinola; another source names her parents slightly differently, as Gaspare Cattaneo and Chateroccia di Marco Spinola.
443:
572:
1186:
1211:
749:. A literal reading of Poliziano would put her birthplace in the town of Portovenere, but this is more likely a reference to Botticelli's
542:
340:. In 2019, a team of medical historians argued that the supposed portraits of Simonetta (see below) show evidence that she suffered from a
417:
was painted as a wedding gift for this occasion. Again, this is a work that some have claimed contains a representation of
Simonetta.
32:
923:
1181:
404:
287:
1206:
966:
897:
1103:
Once on the museum's web site, click on the "Recherche" section, then search by "Vespucci" to find details of this painting
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639:
1201:
213:, and other Florentine painters. Some art historians have taken issue with these attributions, which the Victorian critic
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261:
At age sixteen she married Marco Vespucci, son of Piero, who was a distant cousin of the explorer and cartographer
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466:
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393:
38:
205:. She was known as the greatest beauty of her age in Italy, and was allegedly the model for many paintings by
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1018:
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marriage would be advantageous because Marco's family was well connected in Florence, especially to the
1154:
Pozzilli, Paolo, Vollero, Luca, Colao, Anna Maria, "Venus by Botticelli and her Pituitary Adenoma",
399:
Botticelli painted the standard carried by Giuliano at the joust in 1475, which carried an image of
1191:
948:
687:
306:, Giuliano entered the lists bearing a banner upon which was a picture of Simonetta as a helmeted
1044:
168:
1118:
Ettle, Ross Brooke, "The Venus dilemma: notes on Botticelli and Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci,"
856:
567:, or fair ladies...all probably fancy portraits of ideal beauties, rather than real ladies."
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683:
548:
509:
487:
413:
283:
103:
8:
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371:
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or Fezzano (nowadays included in the municipality of Portovenere). The Florentine poet
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Maraviglia di mie belleze tenere / Non prender giĂ ch' i' nacqui in grembo a Venere
736:
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262:
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154:
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Simonetta Vespucci may also be depicted in the painting by Piero di Cosimo titled
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952:
702:
320:. Simonetta was a married woman and a member of a powerful family allied to his.
271:
210:
50:
1216:
376:
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291:
238:. A more precise location for her birthplace is unknown: possibly the city of
1165:
581:
400:
307:
252:
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1089:
1049:
266:
265:. They met in April 1469, when she was with her parents at the church of
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214:
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206:
862:
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345:
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645:
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198:
190:
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310:, painted by Botticelli, beneath which was the French inscription
235:
612:, pp. 118-119, 164-168, 1976, Thames and Hudson (World of Art),
333:
on 26 April 1478, two years to the day after Simonetta's death.
912:
Paolo Pozzilli, Luca Vollero, Anna Maria Colao, pp. 1067-1073
353:
294:
in Via Larga, and held the wedding reception at their lavish
239:
194:
73:
1122:, no. 4 (Summer 2008): 3–10. DOI: 10.1086/sou.27.4.23207901
411:
in 1482, and it is likely that Botticelli's famed allegory
336:
Traditionally, it was thought that her death was caused by
290:. Lorenzo permitted the Vespucci wedding to be held at the
1158:, vol. 25(10) (2019): 1067–1073. DOI: 10.4158/EP-2019-0024
831:
829:
816:
814:
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Simonetta Cattaneo was born around 1453 in a part of the
1065:
999:
987:
975:
826:
811:
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777:
508:
Detail of the Venus figure, representing marriage, in
329:
afterward. Giuliano de Medici was assassinated in the
573:
Portrait of a woman, said to be of Simonetta Vespucci
437:
by the workshop of Sandro Botticelli, early-mid 1480s
765:Simioni, Attilio (1908). "Donne ed Amori Medicei".
707:. Turin: Bollati Boringhieri. pp. 90, 121–23.
947:
1163:
452:by the workshop of Sandro Botticelli, mid-1480s
143:Caterina Violante "Cattocchia" Spinola (mother)
1085:"Portrait de femme dit de Simonetta Vespucci"
954:Amerigo: The Man Who Gave His Name to America
629:
184:
767:Nuova Antologia di Lettere, Scienza, ed Arti
311:
1019:"Spring mysteries: Botticelli's Primavera"
924:"The Face That Launched A Thousand Prints"
850:
848:
846:
844:
704:Simonetta: Una donna alla Corte dei Medici
225:
31:
1125:
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993:
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835:
820:
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1045:"Painting at the Gemäldegalerie Berlin"
885:
854:
841:
764:
675:
379:, and "romantic nonsense" by historian
1164:
855:Jiminez, Jill Berk (15 October 2013).
700:
420:
1187:15th-century deaths from tuberculosis
745:This translation is somewhat loose.
735:
536:by Sandro Botticelli, circa 1484-1486
470:by Sandro Botticelli, circa 1484-1486
234:that is now in the Italian region of
167:
140:Gaspare Cattaneo della Volta (father)
1212:Infectious disease deaths in Tuscany
676:Richter, Luise Marie Schwab (1914).
640:Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani
921:
646:Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
642:, Volume 22: Castelvetro–Cavallotti
405:Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici
13:
892:. Internet Archive. . p. 24.
359:
217:has been blamed for promulgating.
183:– 26 April 1476), nicknamed
14:
1228:
302:tournament) in 1475, held at the
1129:Sandro Botticelli: Life and Work
541:
523:
501:
475:
457:
442:
427:
197:, the wife of Marco Vespucci of
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1037:
1011:
941:
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906:
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189:("the fair Simonetta"), was an
123:
1120:Notes in the History of Art 27
758:
729:
694:
669:
623:
599:
553:by Piero di Cosimo, circa 1495
530:Detail of the Venus figure in
16:Italian noblewoman (1453–1476)
1:
1182:15th-century Italian nobility
1126:Lightbown, Ronald W. (1989).
1112:
858:Dictionary of Artists' Models
550:A Satyr mourning over a Nymph
256:Leonardo Cattaneo della Volta
177:
65:
43:
1207:Tuberculosis deaths in Italy
679:Chantilly in History and Art
576:, which portrays a woman as
407:, married Simonetta's niece
220:
7:
1053:(in German). 25 August 2011
352:secretion; the increase in
277:
10:
1233:
1197:15th-century Italian women
42:, said to be of Vespucci (
949:Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe
886:Bernier, Olivier (1983).
743:. Vol. 1, verse 32.
608:with Helen S. Ettlinger,
356:volume led her to death.
201:and the cousin-in-law of
150:
133:
110:
88:
57:
30:
23:
701:Farina, Rachele (2001).
592:
381:Felipe Fernández-Armesto
323:
1202:Italian artists' models
889:The Renaissance princes
226:Early life and marriage
390:
364:Among other subjects,
312:
185:
635:"CATTANEO, Simonetta"
482:Detail of one of the
385:
644:(in Italian). Rome:
394:Church of Ognissanti
242:, or perhaps either
104:Republic of Florence
585:this painting, the
560:Portrait of a Woman
450:Portrait of a Woman
435:Portrait of a Woman
421:Possible depictions
298:. At La Giostra (a
39:Portrait of a woman
1156:Endocrine Practice
533:The Birth of Venus
467:The Birth of Venus
372:The Birth of Venus
304:Piazza Santa Croce
186:la bella Simonetta
164:Simonetta Vespucci
62:Simonetta Cattaneo
25:Simonetta Vespucci
1134:Thames and Hudson
968:978-1-4000-6281-2
922:Harness, Brenda.
899:978-0-86706-083-6
737:Ambrogini, Angelo
606:Leopold Ettlinger
516:Sandro Botticelli
494:Sandro Botticelli
366:Sandro Botticelli
342:pituitary adenoma
232:Republic of Genoa
207:Sandro Botticelli
161:
160:
96:(aged 22–23)
82:Republic of Genoa
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1151:
1140:). p. 336.
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620:; Jiminez; Ettle
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331:Pazzi conspiracy
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313:La Sans Pareille
296:Villa di Careggi
263:Amerigo Vespucci
203:Amerigo Vespucci
193:noblewoman from
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155:Amerigo Vespucci
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360:Representations
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211:Piero di Cosimo
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157:(cousin-in-law)
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129:
126: 1469)
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51:Piero di Cosimo
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1074:, p. 313.
1072:Lightbown 1989
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1036:
1010:
1008:, p. 122.
1006:Lightbown 1989
998:
996:, p. 121.
994:Lightbown 1989
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984:, p. 120.
982:Lightbown 1989
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928:Fine Art Touch
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836:Lightbown 1989
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821:Lightbown 1989
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806:Lightbown 1989
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789:Lightbown 1989
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751:Birth of Venus
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845:
838:, p. 64.
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808:, p. 61.
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1095:. Retrieved
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1079:
1067:
1055:. Retrieved
1048:
1039:
1027:. Retrieved
1022:
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1001:
989:
977:
959:Random House
953:
943:
931:. Retrieved
927:
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773:. Roma: 688.
770:
766:
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740:
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696:
678:
671:
659:. Retrieved
638:
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569:
564:
559:
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518:, circa 1482
510:
496:, circa 1482
488:
484:Three Graces
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338:tuberculosis
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318:courtly love
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94:(1476-04-26)
37:
18:
1177:1476 deaths
1172:1453 births
1097:11 December
1093:(in French)
1090:Musee Conde
1050:Bode-Museum
1029:25 November
587:Musée Condé
267:San Torpete
244:Portovenere
215:John Ruskin
181: 1453
78:Portovenere
69: 1453
47: 1490
1166:Categories
1113:References
686:. p.
618:0500201536
610:Botticelli
580:, with an
409:Semiramide
344:secreting
933:10 August
863:Routledge
578:Cleopatra
511:Primavera
489:Primavera
464:Flora in
414:Primavera
346:prolactin
221:Biography
151:Relatives
951:(2007).
723:49036189
684:Scribner
633:(1979).
388:painter.
300:jousting
288:Giuliano
278:Florence
274:family.
248:Politian
199:Florence
173:Cattaneo
100:Florence
741:Giostra
292:palazzo
284:Lorenzo
236:Liguria
191:Italian
134:Parents
128:
120:
1144:
1057:3 July
965:
896:
869:
721:
711:
661:3 July
652:
616:
272:Medici
171:
111:Spouse
49:), by
1217:Muses
771:CXXXV
593:Notes
565:ninfe
354:tumor
324:Death
240:Genoa
195:Genoa
122:(
118:
74:Genoa
1142:ISBN
1099:2011
1059:2018
1031:2018
963:ISBN
935:2009
894:ISBN
867:ISBN
719:OCLC
709:ISBN
663:2018
650:ISBN
614:ISBN
348:and
286:and
89:Died
58:Born
688:146
582:asp
514:by
492:by
486:in
169:née
76:or
1168::
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1101:.
1087:.
1047:.
1021:.
957:.
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861:.
843:^
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