Scientists identify cause of Botticelli’s model’s death

Scientists in Italy determined that Simonetta Vespucci, a famous model for the Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli, did not die from tuberculosis, as historians previously believed.

Researchers examined Botticelli’s paintings of Vespucci and reached a new diagnosis regarding the cause of her death at age 23. The team based their findings on details visible in the artwork, offering a revised understanding of a mystery that has persisted for over five centuries.