''Venus and the Three Graces Presenting Gifts to a Young Woman'', also known as ''Giovanna degli Albizzi Receiving a Gift of Flowers from Venus'' ( it, Venere e le tre Grazie offrono doni a una giovane), is a fresco painting by the Italian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

painter

Sandro Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th cent ...

of circa 1483–1486. The painting and its companion piece, ''A Young Man Being Introduced to the Seven Liberal Arts'', originally decorated the walls of Villa Lemmi, a country villa near

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

owned by Giovanni Tornabuoni, uncle of

Lorenzo de' Medici Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (; 1 January 1449 – 8 April 1492) was an Italian statesman, banker, ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Also known as Lorenzo ...

and head of the Roman branch of the

Medici Bank The Medici Bank (Italian: ''Banco dei Medici'' ) was a financial institution created by the Medici family in Italy during the 15th century (1397–1494). It was the largest and most respected bank in Europe during its prime. There are some estima ...

. They were probably commissioned for the wedding in 1486 of Giovanni's son Lorenzo to Giovanna of the

Albizzi The Albizzi family () was a Florentine family originally based in Arezzo, who were rivals of the Medici and Alberti families. They were at the centre of Florentine oligarchy from 1382, in the reaction that followed the Ciompi revolt, to the ris ...

family, and are therefore thought to depict the two. ''Venus and the Three Graces Presenting Gifts to a Young Woman'' shows a young woman, probably Giovanna Tornabuoni, being received by

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

and the three Graces. Giovanna holds open a white cloth, into which Venus is laying roses symbolizing beauty and love. Both paintings were discovered at Villa Lemmi in 1873 under a coat of whitewash and removed from the wall and transferred to a canvas support. They are now in the

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, Paris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venus and the Three Graces Presenting Gifts to a Young Woman 1480s paintings Paintings by Sandro Botticelli * Fresco paintings in France Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists Paintings of Venus Portraits by Sandro Botticelli

See also

References