This lecture explores Sandro Botticelli's Venus and Mars, examining its Neoplatonist layers of meaning, ambiguous identities, and possible identifications with historical figures like Giuliano de' Medici and Simonetta Vespucci. The talk discusses iconography, seasonal symbolism, botanical clues (including the thorn apple/Datura), Christian readings (Adam and Eve, Mary Magdalene), and the painting's likely function in a marriage chamber, offering a multi-semantic interpretation that blends myth, history, and moral commentary. music ‘Baby, I Miss The Internet’ (Rama, Rama, Rama)  by TOT TAYLOR is used by kind permission of the artist ©Tot Taylor/Songmatic Music (2020)