A Renaissance-era beauty who inspired Botticelli’s Venus may have died of a rape-related brain rupture, scientists believe.
Simonetta Vespucci was renowned in 15th century Florence for her looks, charm and intellect, and is believed to have inspired both The Birth of Venus and Primavera – two of the most well-known pieces of Renaissance art.
Her death at 23 in the year 1476 is said to have been painful and prolonged, as she slowly succumbed to headaches, vomiting, fevers and hallucinations.
Though doctors at the time believed she was suffering from tuberculosis, experts now think she may have suffered from a brain tumour that ruptured.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London believe that the rupture may have been caused by a violent sexual assault or sudden movements made during dancing.
The study’s senior author Paolo Pozzilli said: ‘The violent movement of the rape may have contributed to accelerating a rupturing of the casing of the pituitary gland which was already tumorous, leading to her death.’
They believe the symptoms she suffered before her death may have been caused by a pituitary tumour apoplexy, which happenes when an existing tumour bleeds or swells rapidly.
The experts believe that this was caused by rapid movement, either when she was raped by Alfonso II of Aragon, the Duke of Calabria, or when she was rapidly dancing.
Giovanna Strano, an Italian researcher whose work the Queen Mary academics relied on, said: ‘A contemporary source reports that on an evening shortly before her death, Vespucci was seeking refuge from the heat on the banks of the River Arno in Florence when she was raped by Alfonso, who had a reputation for violence towards women.’
Simonetta Vespucci was renowned in 15th century Florence for her looks, charm and intellect, and is believed to have inspired Botticelli’s painting,The Birth of Venus
Scientists believe Botticelli’s muse may have died of a rape-related brain rupture
Experts said that the apoplexy may have been caused by a dance that entailed ‘quick movements and jumps.’
They said: ‘Considering that she collapsed during a ball, the mechanical trauma of repeated jumps … may have hastened the onset of haemorrhage.’
Pozzilli also said that Venus’ famous squint may have been caused by the brain tumour.
In their study, the researchers used a facial recognition algorithm on five portraits of Simonetta.
And the results uncovered several signs that she had a pituitary adenoma.
This is a common, benign tumour that grows on the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
‘It’s possible that the irregular eye positioning in the Birth of Venus – the “strabismus” or squint later considered a trait of piety and beauty – may be caused by the pituitary tumour,’
In the new study, the team researched a range of documents and concluded that an expansion of the adenoma causing tumour apoplexy – a sudden medical emergency – was the probable cause of her death.
‘Letters between Piero Vespucci and Lorenzo de Medici about Simonetta’s final days discuss how she collapsed during a ball and was then resting in a darkened room where she suffered from terrible headaches, hallucinations, vomiting and high fever,’ said first author Dr Domiziana Nardelli.
‘These are all symptoms of a rapidly expanding pituitary tumour.’
To confirm this diagnosis, the researchers used a facial recognition algorithm based on a pre–trained deep learning model on five portraits of Simonetta.
The results flagged not only her eye squint, but also another sign of a brain tumour – lactation.
Dr Nardelli explained: ‘Botticelli’s Allegorical portrait of a Woman shows a woman – the model is Simonetta Vespucci – lactating, and yet we know she had no children.
‘This is a surprising way to portray her, and we believe that this – along with changes in facial traits – could show the real physical symptoms of a prolactin–growth hormone secreting adenoma.’
This isn’t the first time an artist has quietly painted a health condition into their paintings.
Botticelli’s Allegorical portrait of a Woman shows Simonetta with an eye squint and lactating – two symptoms of a pituitary adenoma
In 2024, researchers from the University of Paris-Saclay identified signs of breast cancer in a woman featured in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel masterpiece, ‘The Flood’
In 2024, researchers from the University of Paris-Saclay identified signs of breast cancer in a woman featured in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel masterpiece, ‘The Flood’.
This includes a deformed nipple and a slight bulge in her breast, which is ‘consistent with a lump’.
The researchers believe the representation of breast cancer may have been a message on the inevitability of death.
‘Michelangelo’s depiction in “The Flood” suggests characteristics of breast cancer,’ the researchers wrote in their study.
‘The evidence of the pathology is fully corroborated by the symbolism and the theological meaning underlying this representation of life and death.’
