Zöllner, Frank: Botticelli: Images of Love and Spring (1998)

Frank Zöllner

Botticelli

Images of Love and Spring

128 pages with 72 illustrations
57 in colour

The celebrated allegorical paintings La
Primavera and The Birth of Venus were
the source of Sandro Botticelli’s rediscov-
ery in both the 16th and 19th centuries,
and are still regarded as apogees of
Florentine Renaissance painting.

In this volume, the author examines
these and other paintings of mythological
content by the artist. He retells the stories
of classical antiquity from which so many
of Botticelli’s motifs derive, equipping the
reader with tools to appreciate the narra-
tive quality of the artist’s works. De-
scriptions of Botticelli’s artistic virtuosity
and explanations as to the important role
the artist played in Renaissance painting
are accompanied by reproductions of the
highest quality.

In Images of Love and Spring, the au-
thor delves into myths and mythological
motifs, explores the theory of La Prìma-
vera as a wedding portrait, and dwells on
the intrigue of masculine desire and
female dominance, all beautifully illus-
trated in colour reproductions.

The Author

Frank Zöllner is Professor of Art History
at the University of Leipzig, Germany, and
an expert on the painting of the Italian
Renaissance.

Prestel

Munich • London • New York