Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Simonetta Vespucci

Role / Field:

Genoese noblewoman famed for her beauty, wife of Marco Vespucci.

Born:

1453-02-06

Died:

1476-04-26

Century / Era:

1453s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Simonetta Vespucci (née Cattaneo; c. 1453 – 26 April 1476), nicknamed la bella Simonetta ("the fair Simonetta"), was an Italian noblewoman from Genoa, the wife of Marco Vespucci of Florence and the cousin-in-law of Amerigo Vespucci. She was known as the greatest beauty of her age in Italy, and was allegedly the model for many paintings by Sandro Botticelli, Piero di Cosimo, and other Florentine painters. Some art historians have taken issue with these attributions, which the Victorian critic John Ruskin has been blamed for promulgating.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Simonetta Cattaneo was born around 1453 in a part of the Republic of Genoa that is now in the Italian region of Liguria. A more precise location for her birthplace is unknown: possibly the city of Genoa, or perhaps either Portovenere or Fezzano (nowadays included in the municipality of Portovenere). The Florentine poet Politian wrote that her home was "in that stern Ligurian district up above the seacoast, where angry Neptune beats against the rocks ... There, like Venus, she was born among the waves." Her father was a Genoese nobleman named Gaspare Cattaneo della Volta (belonging to the same family of 16th...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Afonso de Albuquerque — Contemporary (Born in 1453) (1453): Portuguese general and conquistador who built the Asian Portuguese Empire.
• Andreas Palaiologos — Contemporary (Born in 1453) (1453): Eldest son of Thomas Palaiologos, claimant to the Byzantine imperial throne.
• Constantine XI Palaiologos — Contemporary (Died in 1453) (1453): The final Byzantine Emperor, whose death marked the end of the Eastern Roman Empire.
• 2nd Dalai Lama — Contemporary (Born in 1476) (1476): Second Dalai Lama, a pivotal spiritual leader of Tibet from the late 15th to early 16th centuries.
• Cuitláhuac — Contemporary (Born in 1476) (1476): Tenth Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, famed for leading resistance against the Spanish conquest.
• Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard — Contemporary (Born in 1476) (1476): French knight and military leader bridging the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
• Aaron Burr — Shared historical date (02-06 · Born) (1756): American politician, lawyer, and statesman known for his role in the Jeffersonian era.
• Abd el-Krim — Shared historical date (02-06 · Died) (1963): Moroccan revolutionary leader who spearheaded the revolt against French and Spanish Protectorates.
• A. E. van Vogt — Shared historical date (04-26 · Born) (1912): Influential Canadian-American science fiction writer known for bizarre narratives.
• Akseli Gallen-Kallela — Shared historical date (04-26 · Born) (1865): Leading Finnish painter and pioneer of national romantic art, famed for the Kalevala.
• 1453 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1453
• February 6 (02-06) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 6
• 1476 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1476
• April 26 (04-26) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on April 26

Frequently Asked Questions about Simonetta Vespucci