| Description | Antique white marble figure of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite (equivalent of the Roman Venus) with flowing draperies. Her left foot is resting on a dolphin, her head is missing. She is identifiable by the revealing draperies, representing her as the goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture. The representation of the nude Aphrodite carries powerful meaning and it became a way of delve into exploring female physical attractiveness, sex appeal and beauty. According to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, she was born when Uranus, the father of the gods, was castrated by his son Cronus. Cronus threw the severed genitals into the ocean which began to churn and foam about them. From the aphros ("sea foam") arose Aphrodite, and the sea carried her to either Cyprus or Cythera. This myth of birth explains the Dolphin visible in this sculpture and many other works of art representing this goddess. |
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