Scenic stories (1490s)
by Sandro BOTTICELLI

The ability to give the written word visual form in painted pictures is also something that sets Botticelli's later scenic works apart. The small painting of the Calumny of Apelles was not a commissioned work. It is not certain why Botticelli created it, executed with the fineness of a miniature. Many interpretations have been suggested for the painting, without any of them becoming entirely clear.

Botticelli also set dramatic scenes amidst a lavishly decorated architecture in the paintings of the Story of Virginia and The Story of Lucretia. It is thought that the two panels formed a pair. The ancient Roman writer Livy, who told the stories of the two Roman heroines, also connected Virginia and Lucretia with each other.

St Zenobius, Florence's first bishop, was particularly venerated. In the 15th century an active cult dedicated to this local saint, who died in 417, was revived. Botticelli created a four-part cycle of paintings in which he depicted the deeds and miracles of St Zenobius. A description of the life of the saint, published in 1487, may well have been one of the artist's sources.

Preview Picture Data File Info Comment
Calumny of Apelles
1494-95
Tempera on panel, 62 x 91 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1163*770
True Color
154 Kb



Calumny of Apelles (detail)
1494-95
Tempera on panel
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

740*1005
True Color
132 Kb



Calumny of Apelles (detail)
1494-95
Tempera on panel
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

671*927
True Color
116 Kb



Calumny of Apelles (detail)
1494-95
Tempera on panel
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

801*987
True Color
159 Kb



Calumny of Apelles (detail)
1494-95
Tempera on panel
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1000*1228
True Color
210 Kb



The Story of Virginia
1496-1504
Tempera on panel, 85 x 165 cm
Accademia Carrara, Bergamo

1313*650
True Color
168 Kb



The Story of Virginia (detail)
1496-1504
Tempera on panel
Accademia Carrara, Bergamo

932*770
True Color
106 Kb



The Story of Lucretia
1496-1504
Tempera and oil on panel, 84 x 180 cm
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

1378*630
True Color
154 Kb



The Story of Lucretia (detail)
1496-1504
Tempera and oil on panel
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

700*1235
True Color
139 Kb



The Story of Lucretia (detail)
1496-1504
Tempera and oil on panel
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

804*995
True Color
169 Kb



The Story of Lucretia (detail)
1496-1504
Tempera and oil on panel
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

900*1078
True Color
157 Kb



Baptism of St Zenobius and His Appointment as Bishop
1500-05
Tempera on panel, 66,5 x 149,5 cm
National Gallery, London

1374*600
True Color
151 Kb



Three Miracles of St Zenobius
1500-05
Tempera on panel, 65 x 139,5 cm
National Gallery, London

1354*600
True Color
150 Kb



Three Miracles of St Zenobius
1500-05
Tempera on panel, 67,3 x 150,5 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

1321*600
True Color
140 Kb



Three Miracles of St Zenobius (detail)
1500-05
Tempera on panel
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

701*1097
True Color
93 Kb



Last Miracle and the Death of St Zenobius
1500-05
Tempera on panel, 66 x 182 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

1517*528
True Color
163 Kb




Summary of works by Botticelli
| early paintings | late paintings |
religious paintings | page 1 | page 2 |
| Cappella Sistina | San Barnaba | San Marco |
| allegories | Nastagio | scenic stories | portraits |
| drawings | illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy |