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Nature Communications, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72566-7.

How did Botticelli’s model die?

Credit: Sandro Botticelli/Public domain

One of the most famous paintings of the 15th century Sandro Botticelli is Birth of Venusdepicting a naked goddess, newly born, standing in a large peacock’s shell. An example of the painting (contested by historians) was reported Simonetta Vespucci (nee Cattaneo), a famous Florentine beauty who Botticelli admired. He was photographed five times before his sudden death in his 20s. His open casket was carried through the streets of Florence. A poet Poliziano He called him “Unmatched” (La Sans Par).

We believed that Simonetta suffered from tuberculosis, but in 2019, Paolo Pozzilli of Queen Mary University of London and several co-authors said that she may have suffered from a pituitary tumor (adenoma) that grew slowly due to the release of prolactin and growth hormone, citing her appearance in several photographs as evidence. This would lead to sudden fatal apoplexy associated with the tumor.

Pozzili et al. now they have added their analysis paper published in the journal Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. For example, they searched for letters between Simonetta’s father-in-law, Piero Vespucci, and Lorenzo de Medici, which described how Simonetta fainted at a ball a few days before her death. Symptoms included headaches, hallucinations, vomiting, and fever, all symptoms of a rapidly growing pituitary tumor, according to the authors. Pozzili et al. thinking that the tumor may explain the condition of the eye Birth of Venusmeaning that the model had squint or misaligned eyes, which will be the subject of future research.

Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, 2026. 10.1002/edm2.70261.