Neoclassical Marble Statue Of Aphrodite

Material

Marble

Dimensions

Height: 135 cm, including the base

Provenance

Acquired in 2024 from the collection of Dr. H. Lanz, Munich. Acquired in the 1980s from a private French collection in Antibes.

This elegant neoclassical marble figure depicting Aphrodite, slightly smaller than life-size, is inspired by one of the most famous types of ancient Greek sculpture: the so-called “leaning” Aphrodite ,” traditionally associated with the famous Athenian sculptor Alkamenes and his late 5th-century B.C. statue, created for the sanctuary of Aphrodite in the gardens near the Ilissos River in Athens.

Alkamenes’ original sculpture is known only from ancient literary sources. A fragment of the upper body discovered at the sanctuary of Aphrodite in Daphni, north of Athens, is considered an early variant of this type and provides important insight into the prototype from which numerous ancient and later interpretations developed.

Roman copies provide a better understanding of the composition as a whole. Among these are examples preserved at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum and, most notably, a particularly refined and closely related Roman version housed at the Louvre. This sculpture is firmly rooted in this renowned tradition. Among its typical features are the bare head, the raised support held beneath the slightly outstretched left arm, the exposed left shoulder, and the bent right arm. The left leg extends diagonally in front of the right leg, which bears the body’s weight, creating the elegant and subtly contrapposto posture so characteristic of this type.

A richly draped himation is wrapped around the upper body and fastened at the waist. The carefully articulated rendering of the drapery contrasts with the bare shoulder and the figure’s elegant contours. The treatment of the pose and drapery is particularly similar to that of the Roman copy dating from the second quarter of the 1st century CE, now housed in the Louvre.

The feet are broken just above the ankles; the left hand and forearm, the right forearm, and the head are missing. The surface shows various moderate chips. The sculpture was likely deliberately conceived, or subsequently preserved, in the form of a torso. Its surface has been carefully cleaned, and the figure was recently mounted on a custom-made black stone pedestal using a sturdy steel rod, ensuring a presentation that is both stable and visually understated.

Despite its fragmentary condition, the sculpture possesses a considerable artistic presence. The quality of the carving, the sophisticated treatment of the drapery, and the elegance of the pose attest to the enduring appeal of one of the most influential sculptural types of Classical Greece.

An exceptionally fine Neoclassical interpretation of an important High Classical prototype, this Aphrodite is part of a long tradition of admiration and emulation that spans from ancient Roman sculpture through the Neoclassical revival to the history of European collections.