Chapter 22

Finally, is it necessary to speak of the date of the _Primavera_? This would occasion a long discussion if the space were accorded me. Let it suffice to say that the biography written by Vasari merits no credence, that it has been unfortunately accepted by the majority of historians, and that we have not yet a good chronology of Botticelli's works, nor even a simple catalogue. As for the chronology, most historians, relying upon Vasari, place nearly all of Botticelli's works before his trip to Rome in 1481. I think, on the contrary, and I will prove it elsewhere, that the great productive period of Botticelli belongs to the ten last years of the century and that the _Primavera_ should be classed in this period. The _Primavera_ represents, with _The Birth of Venus_ and _The Adoration of the Magi_, the culminating point of Botticelli's art.

Jouin, _Chefs-d'oeuvre; Peinture, Sculpture, Architecture_ (Paris, 1895-97).

FOOTNOTES:

[31] See notably the _Stanze_ of Politian, where one will find nearly all the details of Botticelli's picture; the shady grove, the flowery meadow, even the attitudes and the garments of the personages. Is it not a figure of Botticelli's which is thus described:

"She is white and white is her robe, All painted with flowers, roses, and blades of grass."

Transcriber's Notes:

{a} Possible typo for sinister?

{b} Van die Beroerlicke Tijden in die Nederlanden. Tijden appears in text as Tij den. Other sources give Tyden as another spelling.

Most of the illustrations in this book have links to colored images on other sites on the internet. If the links don't work, try the "Web Gallery of Art" at http://www.wga.hu/ Then search for the artist or painting of interest. Since this is not an html file, you may wish to copy to link you are interested in, into your browser, where you can view the related image.

BOTTICELLI The Birth of Venus _Florence_ 6 http://www.wga.hu/art/b/botticel/5allegor/30birth.jpg

VERONESE The Queen of Sheba _Turin_ 16

MICHAEL ANGELO The Last Judgment _Rome_ 18 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/m/michelan/3sistina/lastjudg/0lastjud.jpg

CORREGGIO Magdalen _Dresden_ 28

VAN DER HELST The Banquet of the Arquebusiers _Amsterdam_ 34 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/h/helst/celebrat.jpg

WATTEAU L'Embarquement pour l'Île de Cythère _Paris_ 38 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/w/watteau/antoine/1/07cythe1.jpg

RAPHAEL The Sistine Madonna _Dresden_ 46 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/r/raphael/5roma/2/03sisti.jpg

CARPACCIO The Dream of St. Ursula _Venice_ 58 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/c/carpacci/1ursula/2/50dream.jpg

RUBENS The Descent from the Cross _Antwerp_ 62 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/r/rubens/11religi/07desce1.jpg

TITIAN Bacchus and Ariadne _London_ 72 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/t/tiziano/mytholo1/bacchus.jpg

FRA ANGELICO The Coronation of the Virgin _Paris_ 78 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/a/angelico/altar/angelic1.jpg

BOTTICELLI Judith _Florence_ 80 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/b/botticel/painting/judith.jpg

HOBBEMA The Avenue of Middelharnais _London_ 88 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/h/hobbema/alley.jpg

ANDREA DEL SARTO The Dance of the Daughter of Herodias _Florence_ 94

FABRIANO The Adoration of the Magi _Florence_ 98 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/g/gentile/adormag.jpg

HOLBEIN Portrait of Georg Gisze _Berlin_ 102 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/h/holbein/hans_y/1535/2gisze.jpg

TINTORET Paradise _Venice_ 106

GUIDO RENI Aurora _Rome_ 114 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/r/reni/1/aurora.jpg TITIAN The Assumption of the Virgin _Venice_ 120

REMBRANDT The Night Watch _Amsterdam_ 124 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/r/rembran/painting/group/night_wa.jpg

GOZZOLI The Rape of Helen _London_ 138

L. DA VINCI Monna Lisa _Paris_ 142 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/l/leonardo/04/1monali.jpg

VAN EYCK The Adoration of the Lamb _Ghent_ 154 http://www.wga.hu/art/e/eyck_van/jan/09ghent/1open3/l3adora.jpg

PIERO DI COSIMO The Death of Procris _London_ 168 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/p/piero/cosimo/allegory/procris.jpg

TINTORET The Marriage in Cana _Venice_ 172 http://www.wga.hu/art/t/tintoret/2religio/marriage.jpg DE LA TOUR Portrait of Madame de Pompadour _Paris_ 178

CONSTABLE The Hay Wain _London_ 184 http://www.wga.hu/art/c/constabl/haywain.jpg

VELASQUEZ The Surrender of Breda _Madrid_ 192 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/v/velazque/1631-35/04breda.jpg

MURILLO The Immaculate Conception _Paris_ 196 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/m/murillo/1661-/immacula.jpg

GIOTTO St. Frances before the Soldan _Florence_ 202 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/g/giotto/s_croce/2bardi/scenes_2/franci6.jpg

ROSSETTI Lilith _Rockford, Del._ 212 http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/dgr/paintings/4.jpg

DÜRER The Adoration of the Magi _Florence_ 216 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/d/durer/1/04/2adorat.jpg

HOGARTH The Marriage A-la-Mode _London_ 218 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/h/hogarth/marriag1.jpg

L. DA VINCI The Madonna of the Rocks _Paris_ 234 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/l/leonardo/02/2virg_p.jpg

GUIDO RENI Portrait of Beatrice Cenci _Rome_ 240 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/s/sirani/b_cenci.jpg

RAPHAEL The Transfiguration _Rome_ 250 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/r/raphael/5roma/5/10trans.jpg

PAUL POTTER The Bull _The Hague_ 256 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/p/potter/y_bull.jpg

FRAGONARD Corésus and Callirhoé _Paris_ 262 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/f/fragonar/1/06coresu.jpg

GAINSBOROUGH The Market-Cart _London_ 268

TINTORET Bacchus and Ariadne _Venice_ 274 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/t/tintoret/4mytholo/ariadne.jpg

GREUZE La Cruche Cassée _Paris_ 280 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/g/greuze/broken_j.jpg

REYNOLDS Portrait of Lady Cockburn and her Children _London_ 282 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/r/reynolds/cockburn.jpg

RAPHAEL St. Cecilia _Naples_ 288 http://www.abcgallery.com/R/raphael/raphael45.JPG

L. DA VINCI The Last Supper _Milan_ 290 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/l/leonardo/03/4lastsu2.jpg

VAN DYCK Portrait of the Children of Charles I. _Turin_ 300 http://www.abcgallery.com/V/vandyck/vandyck28.JPG

TURNER The Fighting Téméraire _London_ 306 http://www.j-m-w-turner.co.uk/artist/gifetc/tameria.jpg

BOTTICELLI Spring _Florence_ 314 http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/b/botticel/allegory/primaver.jpg