Botticelli's Secret
The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance
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Botticelli's Secret
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Narrated by:
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Keith Szarabajka
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By:
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Joseph Luzzi
About this listen
A true historical “detective story” full of insight about how we look at art―and the artists and eras that produced it.
Some 500 years ago, Sandro Botticelli, a painter of humble origin, created work of unearthly beauty. An intimate associate of Florence’s unofficial rulers, the Medici, he was commissioned by a member of their family to execute a near-impossible project: to illustrate all 100 cantos of The Divine Comedy by the city’s greatest poet, Dante Alighieri. A powerful encounter between poet and artist, sacred and secular, earthly and evanescent, these drawings produced a wealth of stunning images but were never finished. Botticelli declined into poverty and obscurity, and his illustrations went missing for 400 years.
The nineteenth-century rediscovery of Botticelli’s Dante drawings brought scholars to their knees: this work embodied everything the Renaissance had come to mean. Today, Botticelli’s Primavera adorns household objects of every kind. This book is essential to explain not only how and why this artist became iconic, but why we need still need his work―and the spirit of the Renaissance―today.
©2022 Joseph Luzzi (P)2022 Blackstone PublishingWhat listeners say about Botticelli's Secret
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jem
- 30-11-2023
Hypnotic renaissance history
I loved the way this was written. I’ve become even more obsessed with renaissance history now. This is my Roman Empire!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robyn
- 06-01-2024
An art detective story
This book centres on Botticelli's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. It covers the creation of the drawings, their lost years, their rediscovery and authentication as well as the artistic, political and religious environment in Renaissance Florence. Professor Luzzi's knowledge and enthusiasm for his topic shine from start to finish.
Although Mr Szarabajka has a pleasant voice, his narration is a mixed bag. He must be one of the few non-Italians who pronounce Michelangelo correctly (first syllable is 'Mick' not 'Mike') but there are repeated and egregious mispronunciations. To take just a few: (Dante Gabriel) Rossetti becomes 'Rosseeti'; Ravenna becomes 'Raveena'; Beatrice is pronounced as though it were spelled Beatricia and Botticelli sounds like Boat-a-celli. Very strange and difficult to listen to. Still, I persevered because I found the book so interesting.
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