In Botticelli's Primavera, Chloris, the flower goddess to Venus's right, was being pursued by the god of the west wind. The wind god was painted in cold, gloomy colors, with a strange expression, as if he represented winter, while flowers spilled from Chloris's mouth as though she were resisting him.
Flowers could drape the earth, withered by winter, in a brilliant garment, yet their delicate petals could also easily be scattered by cold winds. Was such a composition suitable decoration for a wedding chamber?
Generally, a bridal chamber's arrangement was meant to carry auspicious meaning. Chloris was the Greek name for Flora, the flower goddess. In Ancient Greece, the west wind represented spring; the word zephyrus gave rise to zephyr, meaning a gentle breeze. Chloris, who represented joy, could freely display beauty and vibrant life in the west wind. Rather than fleeing in fear, she would regard the west wind as the lover fate had made for her.
Florence, on the other hand, though it too had a Mediterranean climate, fell under the subtropical high-pressure belt in summer. Since the Mediterranean's waters were cooler than the land, they intensified the high-pressure belt's effects, making it hot and dry. In winter, however, the Mediterranean's relatively higher temperature formed low pressure that drew in the west wind, greatly strengthening it. Winters were cold, gloomy, and damp, which was why Botticelli, who lived in Florence, portrayed the west wind god in such a way that he had nothing at all to do with a "gentle breeze."
There were many painted ceiling decorations in Sforza Castle, most of them Gothic. Like the roofs of Milan Cathedral and the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower, the dome of Florence Cathedral was regarded as the "primrose" of the Renaissance.
Francesco Sforza had not lived in