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Silk, Embroidery, and Venusian Magic
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 March 2021
Chapter 3 examines the magical virtues of Venus’ clothing in Sandro Botticelli’s paintings of the Primavera, Venus and Mars, and Venus and the Three Graces. The goddess’s raiment correlates with descriptions of her celestial likeness, a figuration employed in image-based magic and discussed in the Picatrix and Marsilio Ficino’s Three Books on Life. Her white silk dress, gold-bejeweled embroidery, and rose-colored mantle also suggest secret virtues that could be channeled by contemporary viewers privy to this ancient wisdom tradition. The chapter explores Botticelli’s personal ties to the silk industry and investigates his techniques for rendering the material and spiritual power of Venus’ enchanting fashions.
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