Sandro Botticelli at its most effective, emphasized by the soft continual contours and pastel colors. The "Primavera" and the "Birth" were both seen by Vasari in the mid-16th century at the Villa di Castello, owned from 1477 by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, and until the publication in 1975 of a Medici inventory of 1499, it was assumed that both works were painted specifically for the villa. Recent scholarship suggests otherwise: the "Primavera" was painted for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco's townhouse in Florence, and "The Birth of Venus" was commissioned by someone else for a different site. Botticelli painted only a small number
Lamentation over the Dead Christ (Botticelli, Milan) Lamentation over the Dead Christ (Botticelli, Milan) The Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Saints is a painting of the "Lamentation of Christ" by the Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli, dated between 1490-1495. The painting was originally kept in Santa Maria Maggiore, Florence. It is currently housed in the Museo Poldi Pezzoli of Milan. The painting is one of two versions of "The Lamentation" by Botticelli. "The Lamentation over Dead Christ", circa 1492, is currently housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The painting depicts the lamentation (expression of great sorrow or deep sadness) over Christ’s death. The Virgin Mary