Botticelli created this painting, the Birth of Venus, in 1485 and it hangs in the Uffizi in Florence, commissioned by Lorenzo de' Medici. The painting is made with tempera on canvas and measures 172.5 cm by 278.5 cm. The painting is considered an iconic masterpiece in art history. It depicts the goddess Venus rising from the sea as a fully grown woman. Not made of sea foam as in the stories from Greek mythology, but zooms in on her arrival in Cyprus, standing on a shell. The west wind Zephyros blows the shell to the coast of Cyprus. Zephyros probably carries Aura, the goddess of the gentle morning breeze, in his arms. On the right of the painting, one of the Horae, goddesses of the seasons, gives a mantle to Venus. Venus is depicted in a contrapposto position, typical of the sculptures of classical antiquity. This position assumes a stationary position, which at the same time still looks active.
