Sandro Botticelli’s <em>Primavera</em> (<small>c</small>1480) was probably a gift, commissioned for the wedding of a scion of the wealthy Medici family of Florence. <em>Primavera</em> is set in a fertile grove of orange and laurel trees, in which almost 200 species of flora have been identified;<sup>1</sup> the orange trees are symbolic since oranges appear in the Medici coat of arms. The nine figures, drawn from Greco-Roman mythology, together form a striking allegory of the spring calendar — the months of March, April and May.<br><br>On the far right, Zephyrus, god of the west wind and messenger of spring, ushers in March. He hovers behind the nymph Chloris, preparing to abduct and then marry her, transforming her into Flora, goddess of flowers, spring and new growth. April is symbolised by Venus, goddess of fertility, accompanied by the Three Graces. Finally Mercury representing May uses his <em>caduceus</em> to dissipate the last clouds of winter.<br><br>The arrival of spring in the form of Zephyrus has its roots in the poem ‘Fasti’ (8<small>CE</small>) by the Roman poet Ovid, in which Chloris recounts how her figure enticed Zephyrus into pursuit.<sup>2</sup> The poem seeks to glorify Rome (the inventor of the calendar) as being central to a universal order. By figuring Ovid’s narrative in the painting, Botticelli masterfully elevates the Medici to this cosmic order, a universally important family as seen at the time.<br><br>Knowledge of antiquity was indeed a status symbol then as now, allowing the patrician elite to distance themselves from the plebeians. By associating themselves with the mythological past, the Medici could fabricate a heroic ancestry for themselves as a way of rising up the social and political hierarchy.<sup>3</sup><br>