Sandro Botticelli’s 'The Birth of Venus' (c. 1485) is an icon of the Italian Renaissance, but it was incredibly daring for its time. It was the first large-scale painting of a nude female from antiquity since the fall of the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, nudity in art was almost exclusively reserved for religious contexts, such as Adam and Eve. Botticelli’s use of a pagan goddess as a central subject reflected the rise of Neo-Platonism in Florence, which sought to reconcile classical philosophy with Christian faith. However, the painting was at risk of destruction during the 'Bonfire of the Vanities' in 1497, when the radical friar Savonarola urged citizens to burn secular art. Fortunately, the painting was kept safe in a Medici villa, preserving it for future generations as a testament to the rebirth of classical beauty.