Venus De Milo Reproduction Statue

Venus De Milo Reproduction Statue
Item# PT6440
$39.95

Product Description

H: 11" Cold Cast Marble-like Resin

RETIRED DESIGN CURRENTLY SOLD OUT BY THE MANUFACTURER - WE DO HAVE A FEW PIECES STILL AVAILABLE IN STOCK AS OF JUNE 2010

Aphrodite of Milos, better known as the Venus de Milo, is an ancient Greek statue, and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Created at some time between 130 and 100 BC, it is believed to depict Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

The original is a marble sculpture, slightly larger than life size at 6 ft 8 inches high. Its arms and original plinth have been lost. From an inscription that was on its plinth, it is thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch.

The twisting stance and strong projection of the knee, as well as the rich, three-dimensional quality of the drapery, are typical of Hellenistic art of the third century BC and later. Moreover, the sensuous juxtaposition of flesh with the texture of drapery, which seems about to slip off the figure, adds an insistent note of erotic tension that is thoroughly Hellenistic in concept and intent.

French officers ashore on Milos in 1820 met a Greek peasant, who a few days earlier while ploughing, had uncovered blocks of marble and a statue in two pieces, which he offered cheaply to the two young men. It was of a naked woman with an apple in her raised left hand, the right hand holding a draped sash falling from hips to feet, both hands damaged and separated from the body. Even with a broken nose, the face was beautiful. Their practical captain, apparently uninterested in antiquities, said there was nowhere to store it on the ship, so they left it behind. The French ambassador, however, sent his secretary back to the island in a French Navy vessel to buy it for France. In the meantime, it was being sold to Sultan Mahmud II in Constantinople (present day Istanbul, Turkey). The French ambassador got that sale annulled, but before he could take delivery, French sailors had to fight Greek brigands for possession. In the mêlée the statue was roughly dragged across rocks to the ship, breaking off both arms, and the sailors refused to go back to search for them. The statue was presented to King Louis XVIII in 1821. The king eventually presented the statue to the Louvre museum in Paris, where it still stands on public display.

The quality of the casting of this reproduction figurine is excellent, with good detail, and the cold cast resin has a natural sheen and weight and will blend well with authentic and more expensive antique pieces.

(some information adapted from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia)