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Botticelli's Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance Hardcover – October 25, 2022

by Joseph Luzzi (Author)

4.6 181 ratings

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Shortlisted for the 2023 Phi Beta Kappa Society Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize
A New Yorker Best Book of 2022
A Guardian Book of the Day

"Brilliantly conceived and executed, Botticelli's Secret is a riveting search for buried treasure." ―Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve

Some five hundred years ago, Sandro Botticelli, a painter of humble origin, created works of unearthly beauty. A star of Florence’s art world, he was commissioned by a member of the city’s powerful Medici family to execute a near-impossible project: to illustrate all one hundred cantos of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, the ultimate visual homage to that “divine” poet.

This sparked a gripping encounter between poet and artist, between the religious and the secular, between the earthly and the evanescent, recorded in exquisite drawings by Botticelli that now enchant audiences worldwide. Yet after a lifetime of creating masterpieces including Primavera and The Birth of Venus, Botticelli declined into poverty and obscurity. His Dante project remained unfinished. Then the drawings vanished for over four hundred years. The once famous Botticelli himself was forgotten.

The nineteenth-century rediscovery of Botticelli’s Dante drawings brought scholars and art lovers to their knees: this work embodied everything the Renaissance had come to mean. From Botticelli’s metaphorical rise from the dead in Victorian England to the emergence of eagle-eyed connoisseurs like Bernard Berenson and Herbert Horne in the early twentieth century, and even the rescue of precious art during World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the posthumous story of Botticelli’s Dante drawings is, if anything, even more dramatic than their creation.

A combination of artistic detective story and rich intellectual history, Botticelli’s Secret shows not only how the Renaissance came to life, but also how Botticelli’s art helped bring it about―and, most important, why we need the Renaissance and all that it stands for today.

16 pages of color illustrations

From the Publisher

WARNING: California’s Proposition 65

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wide-ranging...[Luzzi] reads Botticelli’s drawings as “a ‘poem’ in their own regard,” and as a crucial link in the “mapping of the human spirit’s transition” from one era to the next."
― The New Yorker

"Replete with unexpected twists and dangling threads, the trajectory of Botticelli’s Dante illustrations nonetheless becomes, in Luzzi’s telling, a story about the force of art to shape lives."
― Claire Messud, Harpers

"A lively book…[Luzzi] brilliantly sets the operatic stage of vibrant, violent Renaissance Florence and brings to life the characters who helped resurrect Botticelli."
― Max Norman, Wall Street Journal

"In his new book, Joseph Luzzi tells the fascinating story of Botticelli’s life and afterlife, focusing on the many revealing twists and turns that the unfinished illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy, among the artist’s most acclaimed works, took to reach the present."
― John M. Wisdom, The New Criterion

"The research that has gone into [Luzzi’s Botticelli’s Secret] is impressive and inspiring. Anyone who wants a short dramatic book about Renaissance Florence should reach for this title first. Luzzi has written so much more than the story of one artist’s fascinating commission. He’s created a vivid portrait of culture, politics, and daily life in the city that has become the very image of Renaissance history."
― Marissa Moss, New York Journal of Books

"The Italian Renaissance has rarely been so brilliantly examined or put before us in such a delectable style. I would recommend Botticelli’s Secret to anyone who loves art, who enjoys good storytelling, and who is interested in how the human spirit rediscovered itself in such a magnificent and dramatic fashion."
― Jay Parini, author of Borges and Me

"Luzzi’s best book yet, full of intimate and personal insights into the masters and masterpieces of Renaissance Italy and told with his unique blend of scholarship and superb storytelling."
― Ross King, author of Leonardo and the Last Supper

"Botticelli’s Secret is sheer delight from beginning to end. Under the guise of tracing a fascinating history, this book finally presents a compelling brief for the lasting importance to all of us, as thinking, feeling people, irrespective of nation [or] social class, of coming face-to-face with transcendent human endeavor."
― Ingrid Rowland, coauthor of The Collector of Lives

"Brilliantly conceived and executed, is a riveting search for buried treasure. Luzzi takes one of the Florentine master’s least familiar works, his cycle of illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy, and, tracing its history along winding passages from the fifteenth century to our own time, uses it to unearth the astonishing riches of the whole Italian Renaissance."
― Stephen Greenblatt, author of Tyrant

"Richly detailed and fluidly written, this is a master class in art history."
― Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Joseph Luzzi is the Asher B. Edelman Professor of Literature at Bard College and an award-winning scholar of Italian culture. His latest book, Botticelli’s Secret, was a New Yorker Best Book of 2022 and was shortlisted for the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award in 2023. He lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company (October 25, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1324004010
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1324004011
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.8 x 1.2 x 8.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #642,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #537 in Italian History (Books)
- #1,951 in Arts & Photography Criticism
- #2,937 in Art History (Books)

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4.6 181 ratings

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Joseph Luzzi

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Joseph Luzzi (PhD, Yale) teaches Comparative Literature and Italian Studies at Bard College. His most recent book is Botticelli’s Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance (Norton, 2022), a New Yorker Best Book of 2022 So Far. He is also the author of My Two Italies (FSG, 2014), a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection, and In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love (HarperCollins, 2015), a Vanity Fair Must-Read that has been translated into multiple languages. His first book, Romantic Europe and the Ghost of Italy (Yale, 2008), won the MLA’s Scaglione Prize for Italian Studies. He has received an NEH Public Scholars Award, Wallace Fellowship at Harvard's Villa I Tatti, Dante Society of America Essay Prize, and National Humanities Center Fellowship. In 2019, Joseph created the Virtual Book Club, an international online community of readers dedicating to exploring outstanding contemporary writing and cherished literary classics. Learn more at JosephLuzzi.com.

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Customers find the book an engaging read about the Renaissance and Italian art. They praise the well-written narrative that explains the subject matter clearly. The book is described as enjoyable and delightful to read, with vivid descriptions and scholarly style.

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Enthralling story Writing quality Enjoyment to read Art history

34 customers mention "Enthralling story"34 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an engaging read about Botticelli and the Renaissance. They appreciate the well-researched story that brings the subject matter to life. The narrative combines historical fiction with meticulous research and storytelling, providing a comprehensive overview of the arts, history, and personalities. Readers also mention the book includes details about the author's life in general.

"...The book is like an art history class on 1 artist - with a fascinating twist. This one is going in my tiny group of, now 3, favorites...." Read more

"...of Florence during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the researched story of how the Renaissance developed with the flourishing of arts and..." Read more

"...the importance of Dante through the ages and the appreciation of Botticelli's works. I look forward to reading anything else by this author." Read more

"...My reading and experiencing of art continues afresh with this stimulating treatise. Many thanks and congratulations to the author." Read more

33 customers mention "Writing quality"33 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book. They find the narrative well-written, eloquently told, and engaging. The exposition is clear and inspiring, with each sentence providing a link to a story that transports the reader. Readers describe the book as readable for scholars and non-scholars alike, and it reads like historical fiction without being pedantic.

"...are included on high quality plates, in which colors and details are easy to see. It is a smaller book and fits in a purse or bag very easily...." Read more

"Botticelli’s Secret is a beautiful book, carefully written and researched by Joseph Luzzi, that takes the reader on a journey following sixteenth..." Read more

"...The author is an amazing storyteller who's writing covers the life and times of Dante and Botticelli, the social and political environment the wins..." Read more

"This is a story told in a way that lets us in on the street life of Florence as Botticelli and his fellow painters, goldsmiths, poets, bookbinders,..." Read more

26 customers mention "Enjoyment to read"26 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy reading the book. They find it interesting, delightful, and engaging. Readers describe it as a good overall experience.

"...Best book I’ve read in a year of great books. Ten stars if it were possible. Grand slam!" Read more

"...The author Luzzi does an excellent job in bringing the story through the centuries and examining the view of critics through the coming eras and..." Read more

"...ties in Renaissance awakenings, Dante's writings, & so much more, well & enticingly written...." Read more

"...This book made me feel like I was there and is an overall great read." Read more

21 customers mention "Art history"21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's art history. They find it interesting and engaging, with vivid descriptions of Renaissance Florence that make them feel like they are there. The scholarly style and beautiful writing bring together art, literature, and philosophy of the time. Readers appreciate the reproductions of Botticelli's drawings and paintings.

"...I’ve read, Botticelli’s Secret is a detailed, thorough trip into the Renaissance and Florence. Wham! You’re there. A History deep dive for sure...." Read more

"Botticelli’s Secret is a beautiful book, carefully written and researched by Joseph Luzzi, that takes the reader on a journey following sixteenth..." Read more

"...Prof. Luzzi’s lyrical writing style, which is flavored throughout with witty Italian words and phrases...." Read more

"...The author peppers each section with exquisite Italian phrases and vivid descriptions of Italy throughout history that make you feel up close and..." Read more

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Meg
Astounded at Every Page
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2023
Verified Purchase

I was enthralled throughout. Thinking I will never be able to walk the streets of Florence, I find other vicarious journeys. The first of Luzzi’s books I’ve read, Botticelli’s Secret is a detailed, thorough trip into the Renaissance and Florence. Wham! You’re there. A History deep dive for sure. At times, the text was too challenging (for me) to understand. But I moved ahead slowly, took what I understood, and learned so much! The book is like an art history class on 1 artist - with a fascinating twist. This one is going in my tiny group of, now 3, favorites. Christmas & birthday gifts, for sure! This is a book to read slowly and savor - for me, a book to reread time and again. Photos of the paintings mentioned are included on high quality plates, in which colors and details are easy to see. It is a smaller book and fits in a purse or bag very easily. I suggest getting the book vs. other formats. But I’ll be purchasing at least two formats; the narrator on sampling audio is top notch! Best book I’ve read in a year of great books. Ten stars if it were possible. Grand slam!

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Cheryl Chaffin
Illustrating Dante
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2023
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Botticelli’s Secret is a beautiful book, carefully written and researched by Joseph Luzzi, that takes the reader on a journey following sixteenth century Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli’s sketches of Dante’s Divine Comedy, which were gathered in book form and travelled within the European world and through time into the nineteenth century. This story begins with art historian at the Royal Museum of Berlin, Friedrich Lippman, in London to purchase what may be Botticelli’s sketches of Dante’s Divine Comedy. I read Botticelli’s Secret while taking a summer online seminar with Joseph Luzzi, Professor of Comparative Literature at Bard College, on Dante’s three books of epic poetry—Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, that together make up the Commedia. I found the book a perfect accompaniment to Dante’s cantos. What I most love about Botticelli’s Secret is a strong sense of Florence during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the researched story of how the Renaissance developed with the flourishing of arts and literary culture of Florence, a culture financed and promoted by ruling Florentine families, among which the most famous, of course, are the Medici. Sandro Botticelli did not openly share his Dante drawings and they were unfinished at his death. The story traces the loss of art, its quiet disappearance, sometimes suppression, the determination of its value through historical time, through the dynamism of cultural mores and desires, and through frequent fluctuations of power. Luzzi’s description in the book’s epilogue of his time at Villa I Tatti, The Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies in Fiesole attests that his experience of Florence deepened through his research. Such sharing brings energy to the power of research and acquired knowledge to widen our view, to awaken us to history, and to enrich our experience of a place. The discovery of the lost drawings themselves remind us that what we love is often lost in its seeming refusal to surface. When a serendipitous discovery occurs through the detective work and passionate seeking of an educated scholar, the scholars in this case are, each in their respective century, Lippmann and Luzzi, we receive into the world a seemingly new lost thing, a precious artifact of beauty, perception, and wisdom that opens the doors to our present moment and forms a renewed and heightened relationship to our shared human past.

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Blackbird
Well Written-A Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
The title of the book intrigued me, that's why I bought it. I was not sure what type of read it was going to be. Once I got started, I couldn't stop reading. What could have easily been an academically written book, I got something else, a story. A real, honest to goodness story. The author is an amazing storyteller who's writing covers the life and times of Dante and Botticelli, the social and political environment the wins and losses of each artist and how they connected through the century and a half difference in their timeliness. The author Luzzi does an excellent job in bringing the story through the centuries and examining the view of critics through the coming eras and those of modern art historians. Luzzi helped me understand the Renaissance, the importance of Dante through the ages and the appreciation of Botticelli's works. I look forward to reading anything else by this author.

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A fascinating book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2023
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If one is interested in the art of the Renaissance, then this a book for you. It considers in detail at the drawings by Botticelli recording the story of the Divine Comedy by Dante.
It also examines the times in which Botticelli lived and the whole context of his work and the ensuing work done by various art experts in the following centuries. A touch academic in places but basicallly very readable.

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Edward B. Crutchley
Wonderful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2023
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Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici commissions the future painter of The Birth of Venus to illustrate Dante’s Divine Comedy, and the work is begun in 1481. This is a very readable account of Botticelli’s life, environment and works, followed by his descent into obscurity. Dante’s time in Florence and popularity, a century before, are also described. Botticelli’s own popularity is revived by the actions of Pater, Ruskin, Rossetti, Berenson and, above all, Lippman, who saves the work for the Berlin public in 1882.

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Astounded at Every Page

Illustrating Dante

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A fascinating book

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