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Botticelli’s Concealed Device
BUT WHY IS Chloris thrusting her hand forward towards the flower pattern on Flora’s thigh while turning her head back towards the attacking Zephyr, as though seeking his attention?
Her hand does not point, but forms a definite shape indicating the highlighted area of the rose pattern. Umberto Baldini, Director of Conservation at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence,29 drew a grid revealing the painting’s mathematical harmony and composition, but the painter’s message remained unseen. Made after the cleaning of the painting, it identifies an area on the thigh of Flora, the re-born nymph, as a focal point. Botticelli has highlighted this area through the use of a lighter shade. The discovery of a concealed element in the flower pattern which is impos
