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Venus de Milo

Written By: Jacob Bancroft

Measurements: Height: 5'4" Head: 23" Neck: 12.5" Chest: 33" Bust: 37" Waist: 26" Hips: 38" Thigh: 22.5" Calf: 13.2" Ankle: 7.4" Knee: 15" (New York Times, "ENGLISH GIRL NEAREST VENUS...")

Material: Parian Marble

Time Period: Between 130 and 100 BC

Sculptor: Alexandros of Antioch

Discovery: April 8th, 1820

Price: 1000 francs

Location: Louvre

Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek sculpture believed to be sculpted by Alexandros of Antioch, as evidenced by the inscription on the base of the statue. The statue is thought to represent either Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, or Amphitrite, the sea goddess. The most notable feature of the statue is the goddess's lack of arms. The arms were not found during the statue's discovery. The original base is currently also missing; however, it is thought that it was found with the statue originally, because the sculptor's inscription on the base was used to identify the artist. The statue was found by a peasant who sold the statue to the French navy. The ship did not have the required space for the statue and so a diplomat was promised to come back later to purchase the statue. When Marcellus, secretary to Marquis de Riviere, arrived at Milo, the impatient peasant was in the process of selling the statue to Constantinople. The French negotiated the statue to be sold to them. The statue was then gifted to King Louis XVIII, who donated to the Louvre. King Louis would not actually see the statue for another year due to his obesity (University of Chicago).

The statue is thought to have depicted the Judgement of Paris. The story of the Judgement of Paris is that Zeus held a party celebrating the marriage of Achilles's parents, but did not invite Erin. Erin brought a golden apple to Olympus to be the prize of the most beautiful goddess and Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera tried to win over the mortal judge, Paris. Paris chose Aphrodite from the lineup of naked goddesses because she offered him Helen of Sparta. The statue depicted Aphrodite holding the golden apple in victory of Paris's judgement.

Other scholars say that the statue depicts Amphitrite. This theory is based on the fact that the statue was discovered on Milos. Milos was an island that worshipped Amphitrite. There has been evidence unearthed that proves the existence of a Amphitrite cult on the island (Greek Boston). The statue was found with arms, but the Louvre thought the arms to be unoriginal (My Modern Met). The Judgement of Paris explanation is based on the finding of the apple in the statue's hand, and so it is debated whether the statue in fact depicts Aphrodite or Amphitrite. It is more popularly believed to be Aphrodite, and so the statue was named "Venus de Milo."

Venus de Milo is one of the most famous surviving examples of ancient Greek sculpture. Every year, it is estimated that fifty-five thousand reproductions of this statue are made out of various materials (New York Times, "POPULARITY OF THE VENUS DE MILO"). It's fame in the 19th century was aided in part by French propaganda. The French had recently relinquished the Medici Venus and had returned it to the Italians. The Medici Venus was considered one of the best ancient Greek sculptures, and so France heavily promoted the Venus de Milo after its discovery (Art and Popular Culture).

During the time period of the discovery, Hellenistic art was considered crude and was not appreciated when compared to classical Greek works. The French had seen the base and the sculptor's inscription dating the statue to the Hellenistic period, but the Louvre director, Forbin decided the base to be too crude and a restoration of the original, and so the base was not displayed. The current topic of the base and the identity of the sculptor is a sore subject for the Louvre. Currently, they do not dismiss the statue as being Hellenistic, but the current plaque does not name the sculptor (Smithsonian Magazine).

The statue was sculpted using a technique were several different sections of marble were carved and were then held together with wooden pegs. This technique was widely used in Greece at the time. The statue currently shows no evidence of color, but it is believed that the statue could have originally been painted with a popular polychromy (Jennifer Wilber). The proportions of the sculpture mix Hellenistic and classical elements. Her twisting body and flowing drapery are indicative of Hellenistic trends, while her soft muscles come from the classical style (History of art and design). The drapery is also like the original Aphrodite statue created by Lysippus which has since been lost. The curve of her body envokes a more natural appearance that proved counter to classical statues. The twist makes the statue appear more feminine. The composition and shape of her body draws your eye up and down the sculpture easily like a slide. The lack of arms brings an instant recognization. The arms have been lost, but their disappearance creates a more focused view. The statue embodies the Greek's adoration for the human figure. The nakedness showed the Greek ideals on beauty. The nose is of a style that the Greeks found to be attractive. The neck has a level of detail in the folds and the hair has an organized disorder about it. The hair and the drapery serve as concentrations of lines and tectures that bookend the statue visually. The stare is complentative and distant. The drapery shows modesty even in beauty. It is Hellenistic and breaks from the classical tradition of full nudity. The drapery makes the statue seem more regal and relatable. The viewer can connect with the modesty. During the time of discovery, Hellenistic art was seen as crude, but since, Alexandros has been recognized for his talents. The modern audience appreciates the Hellenistic trends of making statues look more lifelike and emotional. The female subject draws viewers in in a mueseum filled with strong nude male statues.

The sculpture has had a very interesting history from being displayed in the Louvre. During World War II, war was coming towards Paris, and so the statue was hidden along with the other most valuable works. Also, the Venus de Milo statue was originally adorned with bracelets, earings, and a headband, but those have since been stolen (Mental Floss). More recently, the statue was the site of a femenist protest. The sculpture is often thought to represent vulnerability because of its lack of arms. In 2012, the Venus de Milo was the site of a Femen protest. The Femen group is an "Ukrainian radical feminist group." Topless protesters wrote things on their bodies like "we have the arms to stop rape" in response to a Tunisian case where a rape victim was being accused of indecent exposure to the policemen who raped her (The Local).

Bibliography

“15 Things You Should Know About 'Venus De Milo'.” Mental Floss, 21 July 2015, mentalfloss.com/article/65911/15-things-you-should-know-about-venus-de-milo.

“Topless Women Protest Tunisian Rape at Venus De Milo.” The Local, The Local, 3 Oct. 2012, www.thelocal.fr/20121003/topless-women-protest-tunisian-rape-at-venus-de-milo.

“Amphitrite - Ancient Greek Goddess of the Sea.” ICal, Greek Boston, 11 Apr. 2017, www.greekboston.com/culture/mythology/amphitrite/.

“Base Deception.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2003, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/base-deception-91910975/.

Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph to The New York Times. “ENGLISH GIRL NEAREST VENUS; Measurement Of.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Jan. 1913, www.nytimes.com/1913/01/16/archives/english-girl-nearest-venus-measurement-of-miss-x-almost-all-like.html.

“POPULARITY OF THE VENUS DE MILO.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Jan. 1884, www.nytimes.com/1884/01/08/archives/popularity-of-the-venus-de-milo.html.

Unknown. “Ancient Greek : Venus De Milo.” Ancient Greek : Venus De Milo, 1 Jan. 1970, surachada.blogspot.com/2013/07/4-ancient-greek-venus-de-milo.html.

“Venus De Milo  .” Venus De Milo - The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia, Art and Popular Culture , www.artandpopularculture.com/Venus_de_Milo.

“Venus De Milo.” Venus De Milo, penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/miscellanea/venus/venusdemilo.html.

Wilber, Jennifer. “Ancient Art Comparison: The Queen of the Night Vs Venus De Milo.” Owlcation, Owlcation, 6 Nov. 2018, owlcation.com/humanities/Ancient-Art-Comparison-The-Queen-of-the-Night-vs-Venus-de-Milo.