What is the story behind Venus de Milo?
The Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek statue of the goddess Aphrodite, famous both for her missing arms and as a symbol of female beauty. The name Venus de Milo comes from Venus, the Roman name for Aphrodite, and Milos, the Greek island where the statue was discovered in 1820 and purchased for the French government.
What kind of sculpture is Venus de Milo?
marble statue
One of the most famous examples of sculpture from Ancient Greece, the Venus de Milo is an armless marble statue of Aphrodite – the Greek goddess of love and beauty – which was sculpted during the Hellenistic period between about 130 and 100 BCE.
What happened to the arms of Venus de Milo?
On April 8, 1820, several pieces of a broken statue were found on a farmer’s land on the Aegean island of Melos. During the fight, the statue was somehow dashed against some rocks, breaking off both arms.
When was the Venus de Milo created?
130 BC
Venus de Milo/Dates opened
Who created the Venus de Milo sculpture?
Alexandros of Antioch
Venus de Milo/Artists
This outstanding armless statue produced between 130 and 100 BC was first attributed to the sculptor Praxiteles; however, the inscription on its plinth indicates that it is the work of Alexandros of Antioch.
Who found the Venus de Milo?
Yorgos Kentrotas
An unexpected Greco-French excavation on 8 April 1820 recovered the famous marble statue around 2,000 years after she was carved. Yorgos Kentrotas, a farmer on the Aegean island of Milos, unearthed the Venus, but even though she was in two pieces, he needed help.
What is the distinctive characteristic of Venus de Milo?
It features a nearly nude, larger-than-life (6 feet, 8 inches tall) female figure posed in a classical S-curve. Her body is composed of two blocks of marble as well as “several parts [that] were sculpted separately (bust, legs, left arm and foot),” according to the Louvre.
Where was Venus sculpture found?
Aegean island of Melos
It was carved from marble by Alexandros, a sculptor of Antioch on the Maeander River about 150 bce. It was found in pieces on the Aegean island of Melos on April 8, 1820, and was subsequently presented to Louis XVIII (who then donated it to the Louvre in 1821).
What style of art is the Venus de Milo?
marble sculpture
Known also as the Aphrodite of Milos, the Venus de Milo is a marble sculpture that was likely created by Alexandros of Antioch during the late 2nd century BC. It features a nearly nude, larger-than-life (6 feet, 8 inches tall) female figure posed in a classical S-curve.