The Calumny of Apelles

Sandro Botticelli, Calumny of Apelles, 1494–95, tempera on panel, 62 x 91 cm (Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence)

History

Botticelli painted Calumny of Apelles. He repainted the theme that originally Apelles created by following a classical description of it. It was made in 1495-95. (Apelles) It is unknown where the painting was created, but it is now kept in Uffizi, Florence. He did many remakes of famous artists before him. Little was known of Apelles' life, and all of his art did not survive. Apelles produced his painting after being unjustly slandered by a Antiphilos, who accused him in front of Ptolemy of being an accomplice in treason. (Graham)

Appearance

Although Apelles influenced the painting, the backdrop was not part of his original artwork. Botticelli painted just as the classical description described. There is much stuff going on in the painting. The figures in the painting are not named people but are personifications of virtues. They are named left to right, Truth, Repentance, Conspiracy, Slander, Fraud, Envy, Ignorance, and Suspiousion. Each figure has a different pose and different ways how it is portrayed. Truth is naked, which infers that Truth is constantly exposed. Repentance looked as if they were a dark person who would infer that the innocent people accused were reluctant to forgive. Conspiracy was a female with fiery red and yellow clothing, indicating that she was bold and fierce. The conspiracy of the innocent man was probably very bold as well. Slander was seen whispering in the king's big ears, which gives a good representation of gossip. Fraud is playing with slander's hair because the conspiracy is a lie. Envy is trying to hold his hand up to the King's face to cloud his view of the situation. Near the king, Ignorance and Suspicion seem to be crowding the King. (3) The King has too many things going on, making him ignorant and suspicious of the innocent because everything is pointing fingers at this poor man. The innocent man looks as if begging forgiveness regardless of his innocence. According to my observation, most of the figure's personation considered flawed are women. The only other lousy figure, envy is a man, which makes sense because it represents the King's jealousness. (Kren)

Color

Choice of color for each figure is critical. Color pictures emotions, and they do have meaning. The color of Truth's skin is ashen, making him look sick, which infers that sometimes the truth is ugly. Repentance is wearing dark black clothing because she is in mourning. After all, the innocent man does not need forgiveness. Conspiracy is wearing red and yellow, which shows that she is dangerous. Slander is dressed in blue and white. White represents purity and innocence. Blue represents freedom like the blue sky. The color is an illusion because slander may seem reasonable to the listeners, but it is not. Also, slander can run free with a perfect combination of colors for slander. Fraud is wearing what looks like brown. Brown is bland compared to other colors, but it is intense. Strength can make one feel safe, which fraud can also make one feel. Envy is also wearing dark clothes, which infers that envy is destructive. Ignorance is wearing red and blue, which means the King can be free to stay in a dangerous position because of his ignorance. Suspension is wearing dark green, which can mean ambition. The king's ambition for more power makes him suspicious of his loyal followers. The King is wearing Red, a royal color in the artists' time. (Apelles)

Citation

Dr. Heather Graham, "Humanism in Italian renaissance art," in Smarthistory, August 1, 2021, accessed June 11, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/humanism-italian-renaissance-art/. (Graham)

Kren, Emil. “Calumny of Apelles.” Calumny of Apelles by Botticelli, Sandro, https://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/botticel/90scenic/10calumn.html. (Kren)

Unknown. “Calumny of Apelles (Botticelli).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 June 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumny_of_Apelles_(Botticelli). (Apelles)