Republic of Italy, 10 Euro Cent 2002

The Italian 10-cent coin shows a detail from Sandro Botticelli's famous painting 'The Birth of Venus'. Botticelli, who was born in Florence under the name of Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi (*1445, †1510), was one of the greatest painters of the Florentine Renaissance. Particularly his paintings 'The Birth of Venus' and 'Primavera' are often said to epitomize the spirit of the Renaissance. Both pictures are hanging in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence today.