Venus of Arlesian ( Aphrodite of Arlesian ) - a sculpture of Aphrodite , stored in the Louvre . Made of marble from Mount Gimette [1] , height - 1.94 m. Made in Ancient Rome at the end of the 1st century BC. e.
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| Venus Arlesian . | ||
| Gymetta marble . Height 1.94 m | ||
| Louvre Museum , Paris | ||
| ( inv. and ) | ||
Perhaps it is a copy of Aphrodite from Thespia of the work of Praxiteles . In the II century, Pausanias mentioned that sculptures of Eros , Frina and Aphrodite by Praxiteles were kept in Thespia from Boeotia [2] . According to one version, the original of Venus of Arlesian was one of Praxiteles' early works - before he went on to create completely naked goddesses, he created half-naked sculptures. On the left hand, Venus of Arlesian, as well as Aphrodite of the Cnidian work of Praxiteles, has an armband , in addition, the head and treatment of hair are similar for Aphrodite of Cnidian and Venus of Arlesian [3] . However, according to Brunilda Ridgway , The original Venus of Arlesian was not the work of Praxiteles, but was created much later, in the 1st century BC. e. for the theater in Athens . The conclusion of Ridgway is based, in particular, on the drapery of Venus of Arlesian, uncharacteristic for Praxiteles [4] [5] .
It was found in the theater in Arelate (modern Arles ) on June 6, 1651 by two brothers named Brun [1] [Ja 1] digging a well for a priest who lived in the theater area. First, a head was found at a depth of 2 m, later a torso without arms and a pedestal , and the head did not fit well with the torso. In total, from various sources, from three to five fragments were found [5] . In 1684, at the request of Louis XIV , large-scale excavations were started near the theater in Arelate, which were carried out so sloppy that the theater was significantly destroyed [Ja 2] . However, it was not possible to detect the hands [5] .
A plaster copy of Venus of Arlesian made by the sculptor Jean Peru before Venus was sent to Paris. The right hip is visible before restoration
Venus of Arlesian, restored in the 17th century by Francois Girardon
In May 1684, the statue was transported to Paris and presented to Louis XIV. The restoration was entrusted to Francois Girardon . Immediately after the find in academic circles, discussions began about the personality of the goddess - some researchers identified the goddess as Artemis , some as Aphrodite. To put an end to the debate, Girardon made the statue more like Aphrodite by putting a mirror in her left hand, an apple in her right hand, and also smoothed the surface of her body, removing muscles and protruding bones. The restoration of Girardon was criticized both for the rotation of the head of Venus, and for the position and use of the hands. So, Theodore Cook Noted that no matter what the actual position of the goddess’s hands, she certainly did not hold a mirror in one hand and a “ball” in the other [1] [6] .
On April 18, 1685, Venus of Arlesian was placed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles [1] , where the statue remained until 1798 , when it was transferred to the Louvre [7] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Theodore Andrea Cook. Old Provence . - 2001 (first edition - 1905). - P. 95–97. - 421 p. - ISBN 1902669185 .
- ↑ Pausanias , Description of Hellas, IX, 27.3-4
- ↑ Olga Palagia, JJ Pollitt. Personal Styles in Greek Sculpture . - Cambridge University Press , 1999 .-- P. 127. - 248 p. - ISBN 0521657385 .
- ↑ Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway. Hellenistic sculpture III: the styles of ca. 1000-031 BC . - Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2002 .-- P. 197-198. - 400 p. - ISBN 0299177106 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway. The Aphrodite of Arles // American Journal of Archeology. - Archaeological Institute of America , 1976. - T. 80 , No. 2 .
- ↑ Lennard J. Davis. Enforcing Normalcy: Disability, Deafness, and the Body . - Verso, 1995 .-- S. 138. - 203 p. - ISBN 1859840078 .
- ↑ Aphrodite dite "Vénus d'Arles" (Fr.) . The Louvre . Archived on March 28, 2012.
- Louis Jacquemin. Monographie du théâtre antique d'Arles . - Typ. Dumas et Dayre, 1863. - P. 359-370. - 421 p.
Links
- "Venus of Arlesian" in the database of the Louvre (fr.)