The world of Sandro Botticelli: artists, patrons, humanists

Level: BA, 2nd or 3rd year, MA-students will be asked to produce an extended paper.

Students need to be enrolled at one of our participating universties: Utrecht University, Radboud University, University of Groningen, Leiden University, University of Amsterdam and VU Amsterdam. 

Professor: Gert Jan van der Sman, PhD.

Location: Netherlands Interuniversity Institute for Art History, Florence (NIKI)

Dates: 1-9 March 2025 (Florence), introductory lectures (online) January/February 2025, deadline paper 9 April 2025.

You should plan to travel on Friday, February 28, or on the morning of Saturday, March 1. The course is scheduled to commence on Saturday, March 1, at 14:00 and will conclude on the evening of Saturday, March 8. Sunday, March 9, is the departure day.

Credits: 6 ECTS (168 hours)

Language: English

Costs:

-Course fee: Free of charge for students registered at one of the six participating Dutch universities.

-Housing fee: € 10 per night for students (BA/MA) registered at one of the six participating Dutch universities (museum visits and travel expenses not included).

Course description

During this course we will investigate Sandro Botticelli’s contacts with fellow artists, patrons and humanists. Over the past decades much research has been done on Botticelli’s social position and his place in the Florentine art world. His artistic trajectory is best understood against the backdrop of his social network and the need to distinguish himself from other artists of his generation. We will analyse Botticelli’s relationships with other key figures of the Florentine Renaissance. The students will become familiar with examples of rivalry and competition (Pollaiuolo, Ghirlandaio, Leonardo da Vinci), as well as examples of cooperation and friendship (the poet and scholar Angelo Poliziano, members of the Vespucci family, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici). Due weight will furthermore be given to the logistic of artistic production in late 15th-century Florence. Botticelli’s life and work will therefore be examined from different perspectives in order to uncover the links between art, history and humanist culture.

Course objectives

To gain familiarity with an array of critical approaches to Italian Renaissance art. Special attention will be paid to interpreting works of art in relation to social and cultural contexts. Reading research will be combined with formal analysis and close examination of documentary evidence, contemporary treatises and literary texts. Finally the combination of class discussions and assignments will aid the students to develop their mastery of academic skills such as critical thinking and writing a paper.

Course programme

January/february 2025

Introductory meeting, initial assignment

The study and reception of Botticelli and his work: from the Aesthetic Movement to technical studies

The early career of Botticelli

Programme Florence

Friday 28 February / Saturday 1 March: arrival at the NIKI

Sunday 2 March: introduction to the library and tour through the city

Monday 3 March: lectures, assignment research topics

Tuesday 4 March: visits to the Ognissanti, Santa Maria della Scala, Santa Maria Novella

Wednesday 5 March: lecture, visit to the Galleria degli Uffizi

Thursday 6 March: visit to the Galleria dell’Accademia, Ospedale degli Innocenti, evaluation research topics

Friday 7 March: visit to Villa Tornabuoni Lemmi, self study

Saturday 8 March: presentations of the participants

Sunday 9 March: departure

9 April 2024: deadline term papers

To apply

Please send your cv with GPA and letter of motivation before 15 December 2024 to sman@nikiflorence.org