New theory over mystery death of Botticelli's Birth of Venus model, Simonetta Vespucci
eurekalert.org
A new medical theory links Simonetta Vespucci's mysterious death at 23 to a pituitary tumor — and suggests the iconic squint in Botticelli's Venus was a symptom, not a style choice.
RetrodiagnosisPathological Art AnalysisNeuroendocrine TheoryMedical History
Theory Briefing
- Simonetta Vespucci, the model for Botticelli's Birth of Venus, died at just 23 — long attributed to tuberculosis but now re-examined.
- Researchers propose a pituitary adenoma caused her premature death, linking a brain tumor to one of art history's greatest mysteries.
- The Venus figure's famous squint, long admired as an artistic detail, may actually reflect a real neurological symptom of Vespucci's tumor.