The celebrated allegorical paintings "La Primavera" and "The Birth of Venus" were the source of Botticelli's rediscovery in both the 16th and 19th centuries, and are still regarded as apogees of Florentine Renaissance painting. In this volume, the author closely examines these and other paintings of mythological content by the artist. He retells the stories of classical antiquity from which so many of Botticelli's motifs derive, equipping the reader with tools to better appreciate the narrative quality of the artist's work. Descriptions of Botticelli's artistic virtuosity and explanations as to the important role the artist played in Renaissance painting are accompanied by reproductions. In "Etruscan Spring", the vicissitudes of Botticelli's patron's lives are examined, especially in connection with the intrinsic meanings of the paintings they commissioned from the artist. The author delves into myths and mythological motifs, explores the the theory of "La Primavera" as a wedding portrait, and dwells on the intrigue of masculine desire and female dominance.