Second only perhaps to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is the most recognizable painting of the Renaissance.

This depiction of the Roman goddess, standing atop a seashell, contained all the qualities found most beautiful in the time period: pale skin, flowing gold hair, and a soft gaze in the eyes.  

Botticelli based this rendering on a real-life woman, and one who met an untimely end. Researchers now believe that his paintings unwittingly provided clues to how this tragedy occurred. 

Simonetta Vespucci: noblewoman, icon, and tragic heroine

Nicknamed “La Sans Par,” or “The Unrivalled,” Simonetta Vespucci was, essentially, the “it girl” of Renaissance Italy. It is widely believed that her beauty was so inspiring that she was the muse of several Florentine........

© Upworthy