It has to be one of the best-known sculptures in the world and it lives at the Louvre in Paris. The statue in question is Venus de Milo. It is also known as Aphrodite of Melos (Melos can also be spelt as Milos) and is made of two blocks of Parian marble. It is also thought that in its original condition, it may have been painted and worn metal jewellery. The creator is thought to have been Alexandros of Antioch and he is believed to have made it around the end of the second century BCE in Greece. The statue stands two metres tall.
It was discovered in 1820 by a farmer on the Aegean island of Melos. Unfortunately, it was in pieces. Now one of the major aspects of the statue is that it has no arms. Originally, there were two arms found with the rest of the pieces; one holding an apple and the other resting on the waist. However, it was decided that they were not part of the original sculpture and were not reattached.
In 1821 it was presented to Louis XVIII and he gave it to the Louvre. From the earliest time of discovery, it was considered as a masterpiece. The common belief is that it depicts Aphrodite, the God of Love which in the Roman world was Venus, hence the two names. However, some have put forward the suggestion that it is actually a statue of Amphitrite, the God of the Sea. The reason for this is that this god was revered in Melos where it was discovered.
Over the last 200 years, there have been discussions about whether the arms should be reattached. But, since there was no consensus as to what they should be holding or position, the idea was dropped. Along with Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, it is the most popular sight with visitors to the Louvre.
John Pullen 