Botticelli, Filippo Lippi, Giorgione and Signorelli

Botticelli, Portrait of a Woman, the Beautiful Simonetta, 1485-1490, Palatina Pitti Gallery, Florence Italy

Botticelli, the Beautiful Simonetta The Beautiful Simonetta, a painting by Sandro Botticelli painted between 1485 and 1490, is thought to represent Simonetta Vespucci, the lover of Giuliano de' Medici, the brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

Another hypothesis is that it is Fioretta Gorini, who had an unrecognised child by Giuliano de Medici, born shortly before his assassination.

An illegitimate child, admittedly, since he was not recognised, but a famous one, since he became Pope under the name of Clement VII.

A superb painting by Filippo Lippi can be seen in the Galleria Palatina, depicting the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus, as well as a scene recounting the birth of the Virgin Mary and the meeting with her parents.

Various scenes from the life of Mary, brought together in a single painting. This choice was linked to Filippo Lippi's membership of the Carmelite order and the debates on the dogma of Mary at the time.

Filippo Lippi, Madonna and Child, birth of the Virgin, meeting with her parents, 1452-1455, Palatina Pitti Gallery, Florence Italy

Lippi, Madonna and Child The Council that had been initiated in Basilea in 1431 was then transferred to Florence in 1439. It was during this same Council, designed to bring together the churches of East and West, that the fundamental role of Mary, immaculate and virgin, was recognised.

Here, Filippi Lippi represents the so-called "macolista" theory, which asserts that only Christ is free from original sin, while some maintained that Mary was also born free from sin.

In fact, in this painting, Mary is not born near the Golden Gate of Jerusalem, but in a simple private home.

We can also see the Infant Jesus extracting seeds from the pomegranate held by the Virgin, symbolising acceptance of his destiny of Passion and Resurrection.

Jesus looks at the Virgin as he holds out the pomegranate, awaiting the mother's approval of his destiny.

Botticelli, Portrait of a Woman, la Belle Simonetta, 1485-1490, Galleria Palatina Pitti, Florence Italy

Botticelli, la Belle Simonetta

Lippi, Madonna and Child

Giorgione, The Three States of Man

Luca Signorelli, Holy Family