Pallas and the Centaur by Botticelli Postcard

Pallas and the Centaur by Sandro Botticelli, 1482 is a tempera painting on wood panel contrasting the classical goddess of Love from ancient Greek mythology in pale, diaphanous robe, wreathed in laurel leaves, with the Centaur, a half-man, half-horse creature. Pallas Athena bears a halberd spear and gestures towards the recalcitrant Centaur. The scene is set in a grotto of rocks, beyond which is a cool Italian landscape with ships in harbour. The contrasting figures of goddess and beast may represent philosophical ideas of the Renaissance of sacred and profane love. The clean contours and classical forms reflect the Renaissance rediscovery of classical antiquity. Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was a Florentine painter of the of the early Italian Renaissance who apprenticed under the master Filippo Lippi. With strong Gothic influences, the mature work of Botticelli reflected a study of antique classical sculpture and was noted for its linear grace and rhythm, flattened relief-like forms with strong contours, and subtle colouring. The complexity of meanings in Botticelli’s compositions, from sources drawn from classical antiquity, mythology and philosophy, enthraled scholars for centuries.