The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli - fine art poster

Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus (c. 1484–1486) is one of the most famous paintings in the world and a defining image of the Italian Renaissance. Painted in tempera on canvas, it shows Venus, goddess of love and beauty, arriving on the shore on a scallop shell after her birth from the sea foam.

Zephyr, the west wind, and the nymph Chloris blow her toward land in a shower of roses, while a Hora of Spring rushes forward with a flower-embroidered cloak. Probably painted for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, a cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and linked to the humanist poet Agnolo Poliziano, the work celebrates beauty as a path toward the divine, a central idea of Medici Florence. The original hangs today in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

High-definition art print of The Birth of Venus

• ✓ Thick, matte, museum-quality paper, whose soft finish echoes the fresco-like surface of Botticelli's tempera
• ✓ Printed from ultra-high-definition images
• ✓ Restored colours, faithful to the original artwork
• ✓ Fast worldwide shipping in a protective cardboard tube

Our prints are available in a wide range of sizes, which you can choose from the drop-down menu. Not sure which size or frame to pick? See our tips for displaying the Birth of Venus at home, or contact us for personal advice.

Styling tip: the painting's palette of sea green, blush pink and soft gold looks beautiful in a slim gold or natural oak frame, above a sofa, a bed or a sideboard.

About Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510) was a Florentine painter of the Early Renaissance, closely connected to the Medici circle. Largely forgotten after his death, he was rediscovered in the 19th century by the Pre-Raphaelites, who sparked a lasting reappraisal of his work. His mythological paintings, above all The Birth of Venus and Primavera, are now admired for their linear grace, blending late Gothic elegance with Early Renaissance innovation.