Venus De Milo

Sophie Tucker

The Venus de Milo, also known as the Aphrodite of Milos, is said to have been created in the late second century BC. The Venus de Milo is a depiction of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, though the name Venus comes from the Romans. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. She was worshiped by women, men and even city-state officials; she played a large role in commerce, politics, and warfare. Aphrodite was also seen as a protector to those who travelled by sea as well as prostitutes and courtesans (Lecture 4). Standing at six feet and eight inches tall, the figure is one of the most celebrated statues in the world and stands as an emblem for classical beauty. The Louver reports that at one time the statue was most likely colorfully painted and covered with jewelry, although the jewelry was likely stolen (Disarmed: The Story of the Venus De Milo, Gregory Curtis). While the statue was hidden under rubble for nearly two millennia, it managed to remain almost perfectly intact. Some researchers believe one of her arms rested on a pillar, while the other arm was being used to hold up her garment. Others claim she was holding a golden apple. The golden apple was gifted to Aphrodite after she won a contest which later led to one of the most famous wars in the ancient world. To celebrate the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, Zeus threw a banquet for the newlyweds. However, the celebration soon turned into a contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera. Zeus appointed Paris, a mortal Trojan, to be the judge. Each goddess was tasked with bribing Paris, Athena offered him the mastery of art and war while Hera offered him Europe and Asia. However, they were unable to compete with Aphrodite’s offer, in which she told Paris she would give him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. Although Helen was already taken and when the Greeks tried to retrieve her, it led to the Trojan War (Classical Mythology, 468).

The Venus de Milo is a Greek masterpiece. She continues to represent graceful feminine beauty despite her deformations and inspires artists from all around the world. I believe her missing arms contribute so much to her beauty because it shows her imperfections. It also makes the statue more mysterious and leaves people wondering what exactly she may have been doing with her arms before they were lost.

Dalyce Courts

Many are familiar with the Greek goddess Aphrodite, commonly known as the goddess of love and beauty. By the Romans, Aphrodite was named after the planet Venus, and was worshiped as the goddess of the sea. This is most likely due to the nature of her birth, which was from the foam that came from the god of the heavens' genitals, Uranus. However, from the Greeks' view, Aphrodite is seen as the daughter of Zeus and Dione (Fond, Lesson 4). In parallel, in each case, whether it be through the Greeks' perception or the Romans, Aphrodite is still perceived as the goddess of love and beauty and as a result she displays a strong symbol for femininity and beauty for the two ethnic groups. Today, multiple different art forms exist in order to materialistically embody Aphordite’s significance and beauty through art. More specifically, the Venus de Milo sculpture is most popular and known for Aphrodite’s representation. The intent of this essay is to understand the history of Aphrodite, specifically through the lens of the Venus de Milo piece, which is a famously known sculpture of her depiction. The analysis of the art piece will also be incorporated into how it accurately represents Aphrodite as well as universal recognition through the French.

        The birth of the Venus de Milo can be dated back all the way to 80 CE. During this time period, this marble sculpture displays an accurate representation of Aphrodite from the Hellenistic period. The sculptor of this well appreciated portrayal of Aphrodite is a Greek from  Phrygian Antioch, by the name of Alexandros (Morford et al., 193). The first time it was officially found was on the Aegean islands of Melos on April 8,1820 in pieces and was then put back together. And from there, after it was shown to Louis XVIII, it was then donated to the Louvre where it still remains today (Britannica, 1). It is also said that after the creation of the Venus de Milo, it aided as a fix to the national embarrassment that occurred when French Napoleon Bonaparte had stolen the Venus de’ Medici from Italy. Eventually the art was returned to Italy, and as result of the absence of the art, it became replaced by the Venus de Milo. After its debut in Paris, France at the Louvre, the sculpture became universally recognized and appreciated by other artists (Puchko, 2015). In consequence, the Venus de Milo is the most admired depiction of the goddess Aphrodite today.

        Looking at the Venus de Milo which is a marble sculpture representation of Aphrodite and her physical beauty, it is ironic that she is depicted this way when you examine the Greco-Roman myth of Pygmalion. In this myth, a sculptor named Pygmalion decides to create the ideal woman he has been lacking, using ivory to sculpt her. After he is finished, he falls in love with his work and prays to the gods that his work of art can come to life. Pygmalion was in luck when Aphrodite heard his prayers and made his wish come true (Morford et al., 193). The once inanimate ivory statue was now a living, breathing body that he went on to marry. This story is ironic in comparison to the Venus de Milo of Aphrodite since she is lively in the Greek myths helping to bring materialistic art to life. But, in her famous depiction, she herself is now the inanimate object even though she is deemed as an immortal god. However, even though in the Venus de Milo her beauty is displayed through the sculpture, from my perspective, I think the Venus de Milo provides an accurate representation of her beauty through the marble; her body is exploited just enough to show her figure but also her soft facial features that are known to be gravitating to her captivators.

Works Cited

Curtis, Gregory. Disarmed: The Story of the Venus De Milo. Sutton, 2005.

La Fond, Maria. “Immortal Beloved: Aphrodite.” Greek & Roman Mythology, University of Washington.

O., Morford Mark P, et al. Classical Mythology. Oxford Univ.- Press, 2011.

“15 Things You Should Know about 'Venus De Milo'.” Mental Floss, 21 July 2015, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65911/15-things-you-should-know-about-venus-de-milo#:~:text=Venus%20de%20Milo%20was%20meant,de'%20Medici%2C%20from%20Italy.

“Lesson 4: Aphrodite.” 4 Jan. 2022, https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1514816/pages/lesson-4-video-lectures?module_item_id=14661588. Accessed 12 Feb. 2022.

O., Morford Mark P, et al. Classical Mythology. Oxford University Press, 2018.

“Venus De Milo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Venus-de-Milo.