Venus's nudity was groundbreaking. Christian inspiration was dominant in the art of the Middle ... by the artists of the High Renaissance. But 400 years after The Birth of Venus’ completion ...

Perhaps his most famous work, Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” was painted circa 1485 ... Powerful merchants and bankers invested their fortunes in painting, sculpture, and architecture ...

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT The Birth of Venus is a painting by the Italian artist Botticelli, likely done in the mid-1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus at the shore after her birth.