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Larger Image |
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Title |
Venus from Montagne, front view. |
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Date |
Late 4th - early 5th century |
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Cultural Context |
Ancient Roman
Italian
European
Western European |
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Style/Period |
Roman (ancient Italian style)
Imperial (Roman)
Late Antique |
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Subject |
Sculpture
Figurines
Women
Goddesses
Myths
Legends
Supernatural beings
Fictitious characters
Hairstyles
Headgear
Grooming
Gestures
Mirrors
Symbols
Cupids
Dolphins
Aquatic animals
Lifting & carrying |
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Description |
"Venus is represented rising out of the water in accord with the conventions of the Aphrodite Anadyomene type. The triton and dolphin, which recall the maritime setting, were sometimes depicted alternately with two cupids accompanying the birth of Aphrodite in Hellenistic-era representations. The statuette's straight nose, mouth with deep-set corners, and triangular forehead are also drawn from the Hellenistic period. […] The late-empire sculptor has also retained a certain ambiguity from Aphrodite's Hellenistic past: though the dolphin, triton, and Erotes are here to identify the scene as the birth of Venus, the Eros holding up a mirror belongs to another motif, that of Venus at her toilet. The goddess's hands are positioned to wring the foam from her hair, or arrange her locks in a chignon. […] Though conceived to be viewed face-front, the sculpture is covered in scenes, anecdotes, and contrasts. Rather than choosing between the traditional Erotes, dolphin, and triton, the artist chose to represent them all. Three actions are taking place at once: an Eros whips his mount while a triton supports another Eros holding up a mirror to Venus, who is looking elsewhere. No two gazes or faces exist on the same plane. The bottom group, featuring predominantly vertical lines, seems to be drawn upward; heads raised, arms held out, legs extended, vertical flippers, rudder held straight. Surprisingly, the mirror's handle is nearly life-sized and features a slit carved into its end. The artist had clearly planned to fit a regularly sized, real bronze mirror onto the handle in order to magnify the goddess's face. As it is, the mirror provides a transition from the baroque lower plane to the classical upper plane. […] The triton, dolphin, and Erotes have been carved without any attention to detail: the Erotes's feet do not have clearly individualized toes, the triton's head is asymmetrical, his nose is extravagantly turned up, and one Eros clearly has one arm shorter than the other. These non-human creatures, which have barely risen from raw matter, are here to exalt the superior goddess, she who is perfectly accomplished and already Olympian." (Excerpt from catalogue entry by Daniel Roger, p. 152). Discovered in Saint-Georges-de-Montagne, near Bordeaux (France), 1843. Purchased in 1953 (MA 3537-INV. MND 2063). Restorer: B. Perdu, 2006. |
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People Pictured |
Venus (Roman deity)
Cupids (Art) |
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Material |
White marble
Marble (rock)
Rock
Stone (rock) |
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Measurements |
H: 16 7/8 in (43 cm) |
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Technique |
Sculpting
Carving (processes) |
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Work Type |
Sculpture
Statues
Figurines |
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Repository |
Musee du Louvre (Paris, France) |
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Source |
Giroire, Cecile, and Daniel Roger. Roman Art from the Louvre. New York: American Federation of Arts in assoc. with Hudson Hills Press, 2007. (p.[153], cat.83). |
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Rights |
Photographs of the works in the exhibition reproduced in Giroire courtesy: Copyright © 2007 Musee du Louvre and the American Federation of Arts/Anne Chauvet, Daniel Lebee, and Carine De Ambrosis. |
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Digital Publisher |
University of Louisville Department of Fine Arts/Allen R. Hite Art Institute Visual Resources Center |
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Format |
image/jpeg |
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Digital File Name |
VRC 762-20.jpg |
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Rating |
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