Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’: The Mystery of Muse Simonetta Vespucci’s Death at 23

Botticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’ at the Uffizi, Florence — possibly a portrait of Simonetta Vespucci, the artist’s muse who died at age 23

The image shows Botticelli’s iconic painting ‘The Birth of Venus’ displayed at the Uffizi Gallery. Art historians widely believe the figure of Venus was inspired by Simonetta Vespucci — Botticelli’s muse, whose mysterious death at age 23 remains one of the enduring enigmas of the Renaissance.

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