anexaltation^ofLorenzothe^Magnificent,^whohad^concluded^a^peace^treatywiththe^bellicosekingdomof^ Naples.Inthisallegory,^ thesea^behindisthe^ Bayof^ Naples.^The^ centaurrepresentsthe^uncouth^Kingof^ Naples,whilePallas—whosegown^Botticellihascovered^withintricatedetails,^including^ theemblemof^ theMedici—representsthe^ wisdomand^ subtletyofFlorence.^ T
his^ readingaccords^ witha^key^ tenetof^ Neoplatonic^thought,^ in^whichcoarseinstincts^ must^ be^ tamedby^ reason.The^periodof^ Botticelli’s^mythological^ paintingsconcluded^with“Pallas^and^the^Centaur,”completedaround1485.^ A
womanholdsa^centaur—a^mythical^ half^ man,^ half^ horse—bythe^hair,agesturethattameshim.^ T
hewomanhasbeen^identi-fied^aseitherCamilla,afemale^warrior^ fromRo-manmythology,^ or^ Pallas^ Athene,Greekgoddessofwisdom.^ L
ike^“Primavera,”^ this^ work^lends^it-self^toseveral^ interpretations.^ O
netheory,^ whichemerged^inthe^19thcentury,^ maintainsthatitisV
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