The Descent of the Holy Ghost

Sandro Botticelli painted this Descent of the Holy Ghost around 1500, depicting the Pentecost event when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles. This late work reflects Botticelli's intensified religious devotion. The subject was relatively rare in Botticelli's oeuvre, making it a notable addition to his late period catalog. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique. Such devotional panels served both liturgical contexts in churches and chapels and private devotional use in the homes of wealthy families who maintained personal altars and oratories.

Tempera on panel with Botticelli's late angular style and dramatic light effects. The descent of the Holy Spirit is rendered with the spiritual intensity that characterizes his post-Savonarolan paintings.