Artwork
Copy after La Primavera, Sandro Botticelli in the Uffizi (Florence)
Copy after La Primavera, 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
Overview
This watercolour is a reproduction of Sandro Botticelli's Primavera, created by Emilio Costantini for the Arundel Society, an organisation dedicated to promoting art knowledge through reproductions.
Subject & Meaning
The original Primavera depicts a group of figures in a grove, potentially symbolising Neo-Platonic philosophy or contemporary poetic themes related to love. The scene features dancing women, a man in blue, and Flora scattering flowers, bathed in light filtering through trees.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolour, the work replicates the composition and style of Botticelli's original painting, characteristic of the Renaissance period.
History & Provenance
Emilio Costantini, an Italian art dealer and painter, produced the watercolour in the 1860s. The Arundel Society, founded in 1848, commissioned the work as part of its mission to popularise Renaissance art, particularly Italian 'primitives'.
Context
During the mid-19th century, interest in early Renaissance artists was growing, although Botticelli's popularity peaked slightly later, in the 1870s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sandro Botticelli was a Florentine painter who loved the drama of stories—myths, saints, and ancient tales.
