The armless Venus de Milo is perhaps one of the most famous classical statues of the world. She was found in Melos in the Cyclades Islands in 1820, standing 202 centimeters, or 6 feet 6 inches tall. Because she was taller than the average human at that time, it can be assumed she’s a Goddess, although it cannot be determined which one. The statue is of Greek origin, and not the Roman counterpart of the goddess Venus. She could be the goddess of love, Aphrodite, or Amphitrite, the goddess of the sea.
The statue is generally assumed to be Aphrodite, and was created in the neo-classical style of the late Hellenistic period. If she is Aphrodite, she is the goddess of Romantic love. When the statue was found, there was also a hand holding an apple, which leads to the idea that it may have been Aphrodite in a pose accepting an apple given to her by Paris of Troy. The fact that Milos meant apple in Greek also lends credibility to this theory.
A local peasant found the statue at the ruins of an ancient city. The sale of the pieces of the statue was arranged by a French Naval Officer for a French Ambassador to Turkey. Venus de Milo was brought to France, quickly becoming famous, because of the promotional efforts of the French Government, because they had returned another Venus statue back to the Italian Government that had been looted during the Napoleonic Wars.
The sculptor of the Venus de Milo is thought to have been an unknown Alexandrose, son of Menides. When the statue was present to king Louis XVIII in 1821, it was missing two drawings on the inscription plate. The King had the statue displayed in the Louvre, where it still stands today.
Modern scholars date the statue anywhere between 100 and 190 BC, based on the style, composition, and technology used. During her time, she was probably painted, clothed and bathed in jewelry. The holes on the statues are in fact attachment spots for jewelry, like armbands or crowns. The background parts are not as finely produced as the parts the viewer is to focus upon.
The handicapped form of Venus de Milo has become an embodiment of the beauty found in the ancient world and classical works. She is one of the most recognized statues in the world.
