Why Did Botticelli Burn His Own Paintings?

In 1497, Florence went up in flames… literally. The friar Girolamo Savonarola organized the infamous Bonfire of the Vanities, where people threw luxury clothes, jewelry, books, mirrors, and even paintings into the fire.

And here comes the big question: was Botticelli, the painter of The Birth of Venus and Primavera, also there… burning his own works?

Some say yes, others insist it never happened. What’s certain is that the myth has survived to this day, and the doubt still lingers.

► Shop "The Birth of Venus" (1586) at - https://www.inspiraggio.com/products/the-birth-of-venus-sandro-botticelli-1486
► Shop Art Prints & Canvas at - https://www.inspiraggio.com/collections/shop-all
► Shop Fine Art Phone Cases at - https://www.inspiraggio.com/collections/iphone-cases

→ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiraggio
→ Contact: [email protected]

0:00 Introduction
1:23 Who Was Girolamo Savonarola
2:16 The Bonfire of the Vanities
3:34 Other Artists Who Burned Their Paintings
5:16 The Decline of Botticelli
7:09 Did He Really Burn His Paintings?

#arthistory #art

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.