Venus de Milo. Only without hands

The subject of bloody battles, mass intrigues and numerous disputes, Venus de Milo is full of secrets. We invite you to get acquainted with some of them.

The statue, depicting the Greek goddess of love and beauty, is nevertheless not named by a Greek name. Venus is the deity of Roman mythology, which is the exact analogue of the Greek Aphrodite. Thus, the alternative name for the statue is Aphrodite de Milo.

The statue did not receive part of its name when it was created. In particular, the Milos sculpture was named in 1820 in honor of the place of its discovery - the Greek island of Milos.

The time of the creation of Venus de Milo (130-100 BC, Hellenistic period) became known for certain thanks to a pedestal discovered along with a marble masterpiece, on which, in addition, it was indicated that the author of the work was Alexander from Antioch. Why was it? Yes, because immediately after the discovery, the pedestal disappeared somewhere.

As it turned out later, the disappearance of the pedestal was far from an accident. It was deliberately hidden in order to pass off the sculpture as a creation of the classical period of Greece (510-323 BC), whose works are valued much higher than the Hellenistic one. In parallel with this, the authorship was attributed to Praxiteles, the founding father of the direction in sculpture, in which Venus de Milo was made. Although the trick was subsequently revealed, the pedestal was still not found, and therefore Alexander of Antioch is considered the most likely author of the work, but by no means authentic.

Some experts believe that the sculpture depicts not Venus / Aphrodite, but Amphitrite - the daughter of the mythological sea god Nereus and the wife of the subsequent ruler of the sea kingdom of Poseidon. This version is supported by the fact that Amphitrite was especially revered by the inhabitants of the island of Milos. At the same time, there is also an assumption that the goddess of victory Nike is depicted on the statue. The hands of the statue, or rather the objects in them, could resolve this dispute. For example, a spear would indicate that it was Nike, and an apple would be the final argument in favor of Aphrodite (before the start of the Trojan War, Paris presented it to the goddess of love and beauty). However, the hands of the statue, unfortunately, have not been preserved.

It is widely known that, found in 1820 by the Greek peasant Yorgos Kentrotas, together with the French sailor Olivier Voutier, the Venus de Milo was illegally exported to France, where in 1821 it entered the Louvre exposition. However, not everyone knows that the statue was originally sent to Paris as a gift from the French ambassador, the Marquis de Rivière, to King Louis XVIII, who later gave it to the Louvre.

Many masterpieces of antiquity survive to this day in imperfect condition, mainly due to the ruthless influence of time, but the lack of hands in Venus de Milo is the result of banal human nature. At the time of the discovery of the statue, it consisted of all parts of the body, but as a result of a bloody skirmish between the French and the Turks for the right to possess this treasure of antiquity, Aphrodite lost her hands. In this form, she was taken to Paris.

With its appearance in the cultural life of Paris, the Venus de Milo has become a kind of symbol of the national pride of the French. The fact is that in 1815 the Louvre had to return to the Italians the statue of Venus Medicea, which Napoleon Bonaparte took out of Italy during his conquests. The appearance of the Venus de Milo in 1820 not only made up for the loss, but was also purposefully declared a more valuable exhibit. The trick was a success - the novelty immediately attracted the attention of connoisseurs and artists, as well as the general public.

Despite its uniqueness, the Venus de Milo also had detractors. The most famous opponent of the idea that the statue is the personification of beauty was the famous impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Along with the statue of the Nike of Samothrace and Michelangelo's Slave cycle, the Venus de Milo was among the selected masterpieces of art that were smuggled out of occupied Paris during World War II and buried in the suburbs of the French capital.

At one time, Venus de Milo lost not only her hands, but also her jewelry. In particular, at first the statue was exhibited decorated with a bracelet, earrings and other expensive jewelry. Although these jewels are long gone, you can still see the holes on the marble, designed to attach jewelry.

Today we see the statue is not at all the same as it was seen in antiquity, and it's not just the lack of hands. The original color of Venus de Milo, like any other ancient marble statue, is not white. The Greeks of antiquity traditionally processed marble sculptures with various paints, partially changing the appearance of the sculpture. Today, studies show that there is no trace of the ancient paint of the statue.

Despite the fact that Venus de Milo is considered by many to be a model of female beauty, her height is just over 2 meters, which exceeds the growth of the vast majority of people on our planet. Perhaps this is a hint at an ideal that only a few can achieve.

Some art historians tend to believe that the sculpture of Venus de Milo is a replica of the Roman statue of Aphrodite of Capua (created 170 years before the creation of Alexandros of Antioch), which, in turn, is also a copy of the original Greek statue.

On the one hand, the missing hand of Venus de Milo is the subject of bitter regret, on the other hand, it is an inexhaustible source for suggestions about how the hands of the statue were located and, most importantly, what could be in them. This issue has repeatedly become and to this day becomes the topic of numerous discussions and scientific papers.

By the way, we want to remind you that there is a possibility that soon the 200-year stay of Venus de Milo in the Louvre will come to an end. At least the administration of the island of Milos announced its intention.

Venus de Milo- the common name for the Greek marble statue of the goddess Aphrodite (mid. 2nd century BC), found on about. Milos (Melos) in 1820. The work, belonging to the period of late Hellenism, is so majestic in style that it resembles sculpture of the classical period. Next to the figure of Aphrodite, there was a herm, on which the hand of the goddess rested, on the base of the herm the name of the sculptor was carved: Alexander (or Agesander) from Antioch on Meander. By the nature of the inscription, the statue can be dated to 150-100 BC.

The goddess is presented in regal, majestic peace. The naked torso of Venus shines with sublime, noble beauty; the fluid, moving folds of the veil falling to the ground make her movement more lively and natural. Venus de Milo became the object of enthusiastic worship of artists (both romantics and masters classicism) and art lovers. A. A. Fet dedicated a poem to her:

VENUS de Milo
And chaste and bold,
Up to the loins shining with nakedness,
Blooming divine body
Unfading beauty.
Under this canopy whimsical
Slightly raised hair
How much bliss is proud
Spilled in the heavenly face!
So, all breathing pathos passion,
All dazzling with sea foam
And all-conquering power,
You look into eternity before you.

Writer G. I. Uspensky - the story "".

The name “Venus-Aphrodite” is associated with us with the image of the beautiful goddess sung in ancient Greek legends, personifying the highest ideal of beauty ... She, generated by the stormy sea element, steps on the desert coast of Cythera, and every step she takes gives life to beautiful herbs and plants ... Wherever Venus appeared, bowed before her beauty. And not only people, even the gods could not resist its perfection.

Aphrodite is tall, slender, her facial features are the embodiment of tenderness and warmth. A soft wave of blond hair crowns her beautiful head, illuminating everything around with a golden glow. She represents beauty and eternal youth. When she radiates her splendor, she walks the earth, the sun begins to shine brighter, the streams murmur louder, and the flowers are more fragrant. All wild animals from the dark forest thickets run to her, the birds hover around her, cheerfully performing their cheerful trills. Panthers, lions, bears, leopards become meek in her presence, wanting her to caress them. Aphrodite walks confidently, shining with her dazzling beauty, and wild animals obediently part to let her through. Charites and Horas, her constant companions, choose the most luxurious outfits for the goddess, carefully comb her golden hair, put a sparkling diadem on her head.

Venus gave the world love, penetrating everyone and everything around, before which not only mortals fell, but also the gods.

Venus, the goddess of beauty and love, is embodied in a huge number of statues, but each interprets her character in her own way.

The most famous ancient statues of Venus are seven. From right to left: Milo (II-I centuries BC, Paris); Capitoline (II century, Rome); Cnidus (4th century BC, the original has not been preserved); Medicean (I century BC, Florence); Capua (IV century BC, Naples); Venus Mazarin (II century, Los Angeles); Venus the Lucky (II century, Rome). Image courtesy of the US Library of Congress.

The most famous image of Aphrodite is in the Louvre, this is the famous Venus de Milo. The proportions of the Venus de Milo are 86x69x93 with a height of 164 (in terms of a height of 175, the proportions are 93x74x99).

It was discovered quite by accident.

The ruins of the ancient Greek theater on the island of Milos. This is the very theater near which the Kentrotas discovered the statue of Venus.

Sometime in the summer of 1820, the Greek Yorgos Kentrotas (Γεώργιος Κεντρωτάς) from the town of Kastro, on the island of Milos, together with his son Theodoras (Θεόδωρος Κεντρωτάς) and his nephew, worked in his field ... Their site was half a mile from the ruins of the ancient theater slope, which was crossed by some ancient wall, built of raw stones. It formed, as it were, the border of the field, which hung over the terrace over the descent. On that day, the industrious Greeks were digging something right next to it. And suddenly the ground began to crumble under them. A moment later, the whole company almost fell into the ground. When the fright passed, curious peasants began to take turns looking into the resulting hole, but in the darkness they could not really see anything, making sure that there was a rather large cavity under them.

Then Yorgos ordered his son and nephew to run home for a lantern, a rope and some tool. When they brought everything that was required, Yorgos lowered a lit lantern into the hole and, by its light, examined the walls of a certain underground room, on the vaulted roof of which he stood. As the strongest, he remained at the top, insuring, and the young people, having lowered another rope into the failure, climbed into the dungeon. So they ended up in an ancient crypt adjacent to the same wall, the upper edge of which protruded to the surface, crossing their site. Looking around, Theodoras and his cousin saw in a niche in the wall a beautiful statue of Venus made of white marble. “The clothes that covered her only to the hips and fell to the floor in wide folds, she held with her right hand. The left one was slightly raised and curved - in it she held a ball the size of an apple, ”so they will later describe their find.

The islanders knew absolutely nothing about art, but they knew that foreigners were willing to buy antiques, so there would definitely be people willing to pay good money for their discovery. It was impossible to drag away the entire marble beauty - the three of them could not even budge her, and they did not want to call the neighbors for help, wanting to keep the find a secret. Then Yorgos himself carefully examined the statue and found that it was not monolithic, but a team. Having disassembled the figure into smaller fragments, the Greeks dragged the bust and arm into their house, and left the lower part in the crypt, disguising the entrance to it.

Dumont-D'Urville is known to science not only in connection with the history of Venus de Milo. In 1837-1840 he made an expedition to the Antarctic, where the sea is named after him.

In April of the same 1820, the French ship Chevrette entered the harbor of the town of Castro, two officers on which, lieutenants Dumont-Durville (Jules Sébastien César Dumont d "Urville, 1790-1842) and Amable Matterer ), were avid lovers of antiquity. Using the parking lot, they began to go around the courtyards of the Greek inhabitants, wondering if there was anything for sale? So they went to Yorgos, who showed them parts of his find. The officers were delighted, but the price set by the Greek , was disproportionately higher than their financial capabilities.The deal did not take place, but Yorgos promised not to offer the statue to other buyers until the lieutenants collected the required amount.
From Castro, the Chevrett went to Constantinople, where Matre and D'Urville told everything to the French ambassador (Greece then belonged to Turkey). He, in turn, ordered the secretary of the embassy de Marcellus (Marie-Louis-Jean-André-Charles Demartin du Tyrac de Marcellus, 1795-1865) to go to Milos, buy a statue of Venus and ship it to France. The schooner "Estafette" ("Estafette") was transferred to the disposal of de Marcellus. However, preparations for the journey took some time. Therefore, when the ship approached the shores of Milos on May 23, 1820, a Turkish brig was already on the Castro roadstead and work was in full swing to raise the statue on board. Still, the Kentrotas did not manage to hide their find, and the Turkish authorities found out about it. But how could this happen?
Here another character appears in our story - the French naval officer Olivier Voutier (1796-1877). In his memoirs "Mémoires du colonel Voutier sur la guerre actuelle des Grecs" (1823), he claims that he was personally present on the field of Kentrotas on the day when the mysterious ancient crypt was discovered. Moreover, according to Voutier, he found it, and the peasants only helped him to extract the discovered statue from under the ground. Thus, he unequivocally asserted his right to an invaluable find. However, the Kentrotas themselves did not confirm this information. It is quite possible that Voutier did somehow find out about the discovery of Venus, but, having received Yorgos’ refusal to sell him the ancient relic, he himself “surrendered” it to the Turks, promising the Ottoman captain a share of the amount that he could get from the resale of the statue of the goddess in third hands.
Seeing through a spyglass that a crowd of Turkish sailors and Greeks was dragging something large, white and very heavy, the captain of the Relay did not hesitate: he ordered his sailors to load into boats, go to the shore and forcefully recapture the statue from the Turks.

Fulfilling the order, the landing party attacked the crowd, a fight ensued, from which the French emerged victorious. However, during the fight, Venus herself was thrown to the ground, and she crashed. The sailors of the "Relay" picked up the trophies and dragged the statue to the boats until the Turks returned with reinforcements. There was no time to sort it out in a hurry: the parts lying on the shore were thrown at random into the boat and brought aboard the schooner. But, having examined the prey, the French realized that they got only the upper part of Venus - the lower Turks managed to deliver aboard their brig. (Voutier, probably not wanting to take responsibility for what happened, claims that the statue was already split from the beginning).
Now it's de Marcellus's turn. He went to the Turkish ship and began negotiations with its captain, emphasizing that, they say, the French had a preliminary agreement on the purchase with the owners of the statue. The debate lasted two days, the matter was not without bribes, but in the end the secretary of the embassy fulfilled his order: the Turks returned the missing parts of the statue.

However, the perfection of the ancient goddess cannot be spoiled with beaten hands - against the background of her beautiful image, this flaw is invisible. Suffered in the Turkish-French battle, she will still enchant anyone who admires her. Her slender figure, thin neck, small head, graceful shoulders - literally everything in Venus is fascinating. For more than two centuries, her pure, genuine femininity and beauty has won the hearts of the public.

Venus de Milo belongs to the period of the late classics of ancient Greek art. Majestic posture, smooth divine contours, calm face - these are the features characteristic of works of art of the 4th century. BC. However, some scientists and researchers are more inclined to assert that Venus is two hundred years younger, since the method of processing marble used in sculpture is characteristic of a later period.

In 1896, the French newspaper "Illustration" published an article authored by a certain Marquis de Troghoff. He claimed that his father, who served in the navy in the Mediterranean, saw the whole sculpture - Venus had it in his hands. Later, the French scientist S. Reynac refuted the words of the Marquis.
But nevertheless, both the article written by de Troghoff and the subsequent refutation of Reynac further fueled public interest in sculpture. There were many opinions about what exactly the ancient sculptor wanted to convey when creating the statue. So, according to the German professor Hass, the goddess is depicted after bathing. The Swedish researcher Saloman suggested that Venus in this case embodies voluptuousness, she, using her charm, is trying to seduce someone.

It is quite possible that the Venus de Milo is part of some sculptural composition. Perhaps once a couple of the goddess was the god of war Mars. Some scientists speak in favor of this theory, based on the following fact: the position of the shoulder indicates that the left hand of Venus was raised, and with it she leaned on the shoulder of her partner, while her right hand held his left hand.

Over the decades that have passed since the discovery of the statue, they tried to restore the original appearance of Venus more than once, there was even a version that supposedly the goddess originally had wings. However, the ancient beauty keeps her secrets, and, apparently, she will never reveal them.

Now the Venus de Milo is located in room number 74 on the first floor of the Sully Gallery (Pavillon Sully) in the Louvre. 8.5 million people come to see it every year.

One of the most famous examples of ancient Greek sculpture is the marble statue of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. The sculpture was created in the Hellenistic period, between 130 and 100 BC, but, unfortunately, by the time it was “discovered” in modern history, it was already devoid of hands. Depicted slightly larger than the life size of a man, this work is attributed to Alexandros of Antioch, as evidenced by the now lost inscription on the plinth. The graceful figure of the goddess has fascinated art lovers since its discovery in 1820. The famous sculpture is now on public display in the Louvre collection.

Venus de Milo was discovered on the Greek island of Melos, buried in the ancient ruins of the city of Melos (sometimes Milos).

Characteristics and analysis

The statue is made of Parian marble and has a height of about two meters without a pedestal. The statue is believed to represent the goddess Aphrodite. Venus is her Roman counterpart. Unfortunately, the arms of the sculpture and the original plinth have been lost. This is partly due to the fact that initially, when collecting the surviving fragments of the sculpture, the hands were not attributed to her, as they had a more “rough” appearance. Today, however, experts are sure that despite the difference in decoration, the lost fragments belonged to Venus.

It is believed that initially the statue (like other works of ancient Greek sculpture) was painted with colored pigments, which gave it a realistic appearance, and was also decorated with bracelets, earrings and a wreath.

The Venus de Milo showcases the technical and creative innovations of the period known as Hellenism. The contrast between the smooth naked skin of the heroine and the voluminous texture of the drapery is masterfully emphasized. The sculpture is filled with erotic tension through the drapery, which is about to slip off. These stylistic features give an idea of the period of creation of the sculpture. Overall, the work can be seen as a subtle blend of early and late styles and methods of ancient Greek sculpture.

Unfading beauty

During the 19th century, the Venus de Milo was praised by art critics and experts who gave the sculpture the title of the standard of female beauty.

Updated: September 16, 2017 by: Gleb

The vast majority of people know Venus de Milo, first of all, as a statue without hands. And this, as many believe, is its main mystery. But in fact, much more mysteries and secrets are connected with this statue.

1. The name "Venus de Milo" is misleading.

It is widely believed that this statue depicts the Greek goddess of love and beauty. But the Greeks called this goddess Aphrodite, and Venus is a Roman name.

2. The statue was named after the place where it was discovered.

On April 8, 1820, a farmer named Yorgos Kentrotas came across a statue in the ruins of an ancient city on the island of Milos.

3. The creation of the statue is attributed to Alexandros of Antioch

The Hellenistic sculptor Alexandros is believed to have carved this masterpiece in stone between 130 and 100 BC. Initially, the statue was found with a pedestal-slab on which it stood. There, an inscription about the creator was found. Subsequently, the pedestal mysteriously disappeared.

4. The statue may not represent Venus

Some believe that the sculpture depicts not Aphrodite / Venus, but Amphitrite - a sea goddess who was especially revered on Milos. Still others even suggest that this is a statue of the goddess of victory, Victoria. There are also disputes about what the statue originally had in its hands. There are different versions that it could be a spear or a spinning wheel with threads. There is even a version that it was an apple, and the statue is Aphrodite, who holds in her hands the award given to her by Paris, as the most beautiful goddess.

5. The sculpture was presented to the king of France

Kentrotas originally found this statue with the French sailor Olivier Voutier. Having changed several owners while trying to take it out of the country, the statue eventually came to the French ambassador in Istanbul, the Marquis de Riviere. It was the Marquis who presented Venus to the French King Louis XVIII, who, in turn, gave the statue to the Louvre, where it is located to this day.

6. The statue lost its arms due to the French

Kentrotas found hand fragments when he discovered the statue in ruins, but after they were reconstructed, they were deemed too "rough and inelegant". Modern art historians believe that this does not mean at all that the hands did not belong to Venus, but rather they were damaged over the centuries. Both the arms and the original plinth were lost when the statue was transported to Paris in 1820.

7. The original pedestal was removed purposefully

Art historians of the 19th century decided that the statue of Venus was the work of the Greek sculptor Praxiteles (it was very similar to his statues). This classified the statue as belonging to the classical era (480-323 BC), whose creations were valued much more than the sculptures of the Hellenistic period. To support this version, even at the cost of misinformation, the plinth was removed before the sculpture was presented to the king.

8. Venus de Milo - the object of national pride of the French

During his conquests, Napoleon Bonaparte brought one of the finest examples of Greek sculpture, the Medici Venus, from Italy. In 1815, the French government returned this statue to Italy. And in 1820, France gladly took the opportunity to fill an empty space in the main French museum. Venus de Milo became more popular than the Venus de Medici, which was also represented in the Louvre.

9 Renoir Wasn't Impressed With Sculpture

Perhaps the most famous of the detractors of Venus de Milo, the famous impressionist artist stated that the sculpture is very far from depicting female beauty.

10 Venus Was Hid During World War II

By the autumn of 1939, with the threat of war looming over Paris, the Venus de Milo, along with some other priceless artefacts such as the Nike of Samothrace and works by Michelangelo, had been removed from the Louvre for safekeeping in various castles in the French countryside.

11. Venus got robbed

Venus lacks not only hands. She was originally adorned with jewelry, including bracelets, earrings, and a tiara. These decorations disappeared a long time ago, but holes for fastening remained in the marble.

12. Venus has lost color

Although modern art connoisseurs are accustomed to consider Greek statues white, marble sculptures were often painted in various colors. However, no trace of the original coloring survives today.

13. The statue is taller than most people

The height of Venus de Milo is 2.02 m.

14. Sculpture can be a copy

Art historians note that Venus de Milo bears a striking resemblance to Aphrodite or Venus of Capu, which is a Roman copy of a Greek original statue. At least 170 years have passed since the creation of the Venus of Capua before Alexandros created the Venus of Milos. Some art historians believe that both statues are actually copies of an older source.

15. Imperfect sculpture as a source of inspiration

The missing hands of the Venus de Milo are much more than a source of numerous lectures, discussions and essays by art historians. Their absence also led to innumerable fantasies and theories as to how the hands might have been positioned and what might have been in them.