Simonetta Cattaneo is a name which doesn’t sound familiar but just look at Botticelli’s “Spring” or “The Birth of Venus” for a moment and you’ll realize who we’re talking about! This young lady from Genoa was the talk of Florence around 1475. Both muse and model for many artists Simonetta – who had married a Vespucci – was the mistress of Giuliano de’Medici, Lorenzo the Magnificent’s younger brother. However in Botticelli’s masterpieces there is more than meets the eye. But these secrets are so well hidden that over the centuries many different interpretations have developed. What emerges is what it was like to paint during the Renaissance, an age in which art called not only upon culture but also the news and politics of the day.
Year of production: 2009
Running time: 52’
Original language: italian
Subtitle: english
